Victory Garden
by kazooband
Summary: Andromeda was washing the dishes. Ted was listening to the wireless. Tonks and Remus were dancing. Then the Ministry fell to Voldemort and the whole world broke underneath them. Now these four hunted fighters, scholars, rebels, and gardeners must learn to live and work together to see themselves and their friends through to the brighter days to come. COMPLETE
1. August 1st, 1997, 11:39 pm

Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling owns Harry Potter. I'm just playing around in her sandbox.

Summary:

Andromeda was washing the dishes.

Ted was listening to the wireless.

Tonks and Remus were dancing.

Then the Ministry fell to Voldemort and the whole world broke underneath them.

Now these four hunted fighters, scholars, rebels, and gardeners must learn to live and work together to see themselves and their friends through to the brighter days to come.

This is the story of Remus Lupin and Nymphadora, Andromeda, and Ted Tonks during the months that lead up to the Battle of Hogwarts. Cannon compliant. Ye be warned.

 **Chapter 1: August 1** **st** **, 1997, 11:39 pm**

"Where is Harry Potter?"

"How in the hell should I know?"

The Death Eater sneered at her. Andromeda had not caught his name.

"We know he came here, where are you hiding him?"

"That was a decoy. I've never seen Harry Potter in my life."

Nymphadora would certainly know this Death Eater on sight. But she was not here. She was at Bill Weasley's wedding to Fleur Delacour. And Andromeda was wandless and tied to a chair in her own kitchen.

"Yaxley! What does the mudblood say about Potter?"

"He's a half-blood," Andromeda protested.

Ted would say the same. That story they had straight, at least.

"He says it was a decoy," was the reply from the dining area. Andromeda dearly wished she could have heard it in Ted's voice.

It had been such a normal evening; the washing up was still carrying on in the sink. By the time this was over, those would be the cleanest dishes she had ever seen. Actually, that rather depended on how this ended, didn't it.

"Are you calling Bellatrix Lestrange a liar?" Andromeda's Death Eater demanded of her.

"I wouldn't dare."

Despite the evidence of her eyes and ears, the numbness in her bound hands, Andromeda still struggled to believe that this was actually happening. Two Death Eaters in her home, rooms ransacked, fireplace destroyed, herself and her husband questioned, maybe…probably…definitely…soon to be tortured. She had dreamed this so many times but always struggled awake before finding out what her unconscious mind thought would happen if the Death Eaters were denied what they wanted for too long.

"What are the Order's plans?"

"I don't know."

The clock on the wall over the Death Eater's head read 11:51, but that could not be correct, it must have taken a freezing charm. It can't have been less than an hour since Ted rushed into the kitchen with the first indication that something had gone terribly wrong, it must have been two days at least.

At first Andromeda had looked at the silent wireless in his hands without comprehension: if it was broken then surely by now he knew better than to ask her for advice on how to fix it, and why did he look so concerned? But then he had cycled through the channels until finally finding one that had not yet gone dark.

They'd had their heads bowed over the wireless, listening to the last stand of a pair of Quidditch commentators, somehow still not understanding how deeply the world had broken, feeling secure in their well warded home, when the front door exploded inward. The wireless had fallen to the floor in the kitchen when the Death Eaters dragged them apart and it lay there still, off or broken or just silent again.

"Are you sure these two are in the Order?" the other Death Eater, Yaxley, asked from the next room.

"Bellatrix says they must know something," Andromeda's Death Eater said. "Even if they're not, the daughter is. The one with the hair, you've seen her."

"She's related to these two?" Yaxley said. "You're going to wish I didn't know that, mudblood."

"He's a half-blood," Andromeda repeated, and thought she heard Ted say the same.

"And I suppose you can tell me who his magical parent is."

He held his wand so close to Andromeda's nose that she went cross eyed trying to keep it in view. She could feel her distraction growing and wished he would stop mentioning Bellatrix, every time she thought about her sister the door to the room in the back of her head opened a little further, inviting her to come inside where it was safe and quiet, where she could see and hear but not feel, where anything could happen to her body but the core of her would still be all right.

"Where is Harry Potter?" The Death Eater pointed his wand at her chest and twisted, just a little, and Andromeda felt something inside of her twist with it. She grunted at the sharp pain and gripped the arms of her chair.

Andromeda had found the room when she was nine, on the last day of Bellatrix's first Christmas vacation after starting at Hogwarts. Their parents had never bothered about the laws concerning underage magic, which left the young Andromeda as the target of every pinching, stinging, and burning spell that Bellatrix had learned in her few months at school, and that was a fair few. By the time Bellatrix's holiday was over, Andromeda's chest, back, and stomach had been a mosaic of welts and bruises. Her mother had only sniffed when she saw them and said that Andromeda would just have to toughen up.

"What is the Order planning?"

More twisting. What did he have? A lung? Her stomach? Liver? Heart? How much of this could it take before it burst? Sweat broke out on her brow.

A week into Bellatrix's summer vacation between her first and second years, Andromeda had gotten so good at hiding in that room in her head that torturing her lost its appeal and Bellatrix turned on the eight year old Narcissa instead. Narcissa's strategy under this onslaught was to try and ingratiate herself with her oldest sister. It only made things worse for her of course, their gang needed someone to prey upon, otherwise the weakest member was the only target. So Andromeda had forced herself to stay out of her room for Narcissa's sake, taking her sisters' magical and physical pinches and blows until they got bored and she could escape.

"Where is Harry Potter?"

Andromeda tried to shift in the chair to relieve some of the twisting inside her, but the Death Eater only pressed harder, forcing a tight cry out of her. Did he realize that she was unable to speak, even if she wanted to? If this wasn't the Cruciatus curse, she never wanted to find out what was. But she had to stay out of her room, because however much danger she was in, Ted's peril was worse.

"What is the Order planning!"

The Death Eater was losing patience, this would not last much longer, and Andromeda knew they wouldn't just give up and leave them to the rest of their night. Death or insanity waited only a few seconds away. Which would it be?

"I'm a lumberjack and I'm OK!"

Ted's voice.

"I sleep all night and I work all day!"

For a moment Andromeda thought her husband's singing, or maybe just the surprise of it, had strengthened her against the pain in her chest. Then she realized that the bewildered Death Eater had released the spell on his own.

"What the…" he muttered.

"I cut down trees, I eat my lunch, I go to the lavat'ry!"

"What did you do to the mudblood, Yaxley?"

"He's a half-blood."

"On Wednesdays I go shopping and have buttered scones for tea!"

There was a pair of quiet pops from somewhere else in the house. Yaxley let out a short shout.

"I cut down trees, I skip and jump. I love to press wild flow'rs!"

Andromeda and her Death Eater exchanged looks, briefly united in their confusion about what was happening in the other room. The Death Eater cursed and pushed through the door.

"I put on women's clothing and hang around in bars!"

"And Stupefy! Blimey, Dad, the things you find out!"

Nymphadora's voice! Andromeda slipped into the room at the back of her mind.

"I cut down trees, I wear high heels suspenders and a bra!"

Someone new entered the kitchen and knelt down in front of Andromeda. No, she knew that scarred face and those kind but haunted eyes: Remus. He released the bonds around her wrists and ankles and gently took Andromeda by the shoulders.

"Are you all right?"

Andromeda needed more time in her room before she could answer.

"I wish I'd been a girlie just like my dear mama!"

"Tonks, your mum is in here. She doesn't look hurt, but she's practically catatonic."

"She might have cocooned," Nymphadora said from the next room. "Let my dad look after her. I need your help with these wards first."

Remus released her shoulders with a pat and left again.

Andromeda sat quietly in her chair, dully amazed at her change in fortune, listening as Nymphadora and Remus chanted spell after spell she had never even heard before, hoisting the wards back up by main strength. After a minute or an hour of this, Ted burst into the kitchen, holding a hand to his ribs, and Andromeda broke out of her room.

"Are you all right?" she cried, jumping up to hug him, ignoring their matching hurts.

"I will be, you?"

"I can't believe that happened."

"No one expects the Spanish Inquisition."

"What are you talking about?"


	2. Cocoon

**Chapter 2: Cocoon**

"So we have two unconscious Death Eaters, a ransacked house, the Ministry's fallen, and my parents have been tortured," Tonks inventoried, pacing back and forth through the battered sitting room, having to pause and step over the crushed coffee table on every circuit. "Did I miss anything?"

"Harry got away," Remus said as he returned from replacing her parents' front door. He sank onto the arm of the sofa, but it creaked and sagged beneath him and he had to jump up and repair it before sitting carefully back down again.

"You're sure?"

"Positive, he Disapparated with Ron and Hermione almost before Shacklebolt's Patronus faded." He started replacing the stuffing into the cushion nearest him.

"I sure hope those three have a plan," Tonks said, rubbing her face. They had been at a party barely two hours ago, dancing. Now her best dress – also, her only dress – had spent time on the front lines and had the tears and soot stains to prove it. Remus's dress robes too. He kept picking at a rip in his sleeve without fully seeming to realize it.

That had been chaos on a scale she had never seen before. Voldemort timed his takeover well; three quarters of the Order in one place and as far off their guard as they had ever been, not to mention an almost equal number of civilians. At least most of those had the presence of mind to Disapparate when the fighting began. If nine different Weasleys hadn't been on hand to fight with the ferocity that only comes from defending one's home, the Burrow might be rubble right now.

"I've never seen your hair that color before," Remus said. He might have been remarking on the weather.

"What color is it?" Tonks asked, having lost track, and the mirror on the mantle had shattered along with the fireplace itself. She finally kicked the broken table out of her way.

"Red, blood red." He pointed his wand at the table and it reassembled itself but ended up back in her path again, she had to stop pacing. He had probably done that on purpose.

"Yeah, well, I'm angry," Tonks said, glaring at him with her hands on her hips. He just looked sad. "Do you think Shacklebolt's all right? Sending that Patronus must have cost him."

"He knows what he's doing."

"Stupefy!"

Remus flinched even though the spell went nowhere near him. Travers collapsed back to the floor under the dining room table.

"You could have warned me."

"He was waking up. I must've just grazed him before."

"I have his wand." Remus sounded like he wanted to be angry but just couldn't manage it. Tonks had to take a breath and remind herself that, unique among everyone else in this house, he had seen this all happen the first time, right up close. It had taken everything he had.

"Sorry," Tonks said, and meant it. She turned away, repaired the mirror, and made sure her hair was purple again. The fireplace would take some more consideration, though. Obviously they couldn't open it to the Floo Network again, so maybe it was better left alone, or better yet, removed entirely.

"Minerva!" Remus yelped at the same moment Tonks caught sight of a silver animal in the mirror. She whirled around just in time to see McGonagall's cat Patronus open its mouth and speak.

"Pardon me, Ted, Andromeda. This is Minerva McGonagall. Have you seen Tonks or Remus this evening?"

"We're not where we said we'd be if something like this happened," Remus realized immediately, lifting his wand to send a response. Where they said they'd be was in the middle of the worst fighting or their own house, of course.

"Ask her what she knows about how everyone else is doing," Tonks said, feeling her insides freeze over. Remus nodded, it was already done.

Tonks had forgotten that he had volunteered to keep track of the Order's Patronus messages if the Weasleys were unable, and after the attack on the Burrow they couldn't be sure that the Weasleys were not being watched. McGonagall was actually the backup for Remus.

The next Patronus appeared within moments.

"Remus! Thank goodness! Other than Kingsley, you two are last to check in. Hagrid was threatening to mount a rescue. Everyone made it out, I've told them to keep their heads down until we figure out what to do next."

And it faded away.

"I've got to check on Kingsley," Tonks decided, making for the door. Remus caught her arm as she passed. "Come if you like," she told him, trying to tug free, but he kept his seat and wouldn't let go.

"He was at the Ministry. Your cover's blown." He said this with difficulty. It was their marriage that revealed Tonks's loyalty to the Order to anyone who cared to think it through. Small price to pay, most days.

"Then I won't go as myself."

"They must be under a lockdown, there. Even if you could get inside, no disguise will hold up, not even one of yours. Kingsley can handle himself."

"So could Mad-Eye."

"All right, suppose he is in trouble," Remus said. "What would you do?"

"Help him break out of it," Tonks replied. "We're wasting time."

"Or walk right into a trap and land in the same trouble yourself. Now suppose he has everything under control."

"…I would probably reveal that he's loyal to the Order, too."

"We're going to need people in the Ministry who are on our side. Kingsley can take care of himself," Remus said. "Trust me."

Tonks stared him down for a few moments, then relented. "Fine. I'll give him until tomorrow to check in."

She could not be sure if this had occurred to him yet or not, but with Dumbledore and Mad-Eye gone, Remus was the second in command of the Order, behind Kingsley, although he had better think carefully before invoking that too often around her. Dumbledore had defined the line of succession before he died. Tonks was a surprisingly short distance further down that list, after McGonagall and Arthur, and desperately hoped it would not come to that.

"Okay." Remus loosened his grip but did not let go immediately, and when he did his hand was shaking. "I'll tell Minerva we should talk more in the morning." He was steadier when he flicked his wand to send the message, but afterward his hand dropped to his knee like all the energy had just drained out of him.

"Do you think Harry knows the Patronus trick?" Tonks asked.

"Even if he doesn't, I'll bet Hermione's figured it out. But they don't know that we're here."

"Harry's been here, remember? And they know where the Burrow is…but they must know better than to try and contact Arthur and Molly after what happened there. Hermione's been to Kingsley's house, but he's not there, and there's Ron's great Aunt, but you know her…" Tonks replied, pacing again. As an Auror she knew precisely how effectively a determined and talented witch or wizard could hide. "How are we supposed to help them if we can't even find them?"

"We can be ready when they ask," Remus said. "Until then, maybe it's better if we don't know where they are. Besides, I think we already have our hands full. Take those two, for instance." He nodded toward Travers and Yaxley, still unconscious under the dining room table.

Tonks had to agree, for the moment, at least. "What are we going to do with them? We can't exactly take them to the authorities. That doesn't leave many options."

"I don't know."

"Can't let them go, can't turn them over, can't keep them," Tonks said, really, honestly trying hard to think of something else. "We-" But she couldn't say it, could barely even think it. She worked in law enforcement, for Merlin's sake, and even if the waters were a little murky around the Auror department she knew one thing for certain: death came only as a last resort. It was not an end she could bestow on two unconscious men, no matter what they had done to her parents.

She looked back to find Remus was watching her steadily. He surely knew what was on her mind but needed her to say it.

"Relax, we can't do that either," Tonks sighed. "And stop it, you're not my teacher."

He crossed his arms but rearranged his features so it looked less like he was considering giving her detention.

"Modify their memories."

"Mum! You're back!" Tonks rushed over to inspect her mother more closely. She was standing arm in arm with Ted and shaking visibly, they both were, actually, but seemed not to need the physical support. Her eyes were hard. Tonks handed them both back their wands.

"If those two don't report back, someone will come and try to find out why, right?" Andromeda said.

Tonks nodded.

"We can't let that happen," Andromeda continued. "We should modify their memories and make them think the wards held and they spent a few hours looking for a way into the house but never found it."

Ted nodded his agreement. They both looked as though they would not mind getting a similar treatment themselves. Tonks thought Andromeda's idea had some merit, though any other reasonable solution that did not involve sending two Death Eaters back into the fight would have gotten her immediate vote.

"I don't think that would work," Remus said. Everyone turned to look at him, but he looked at the floor, found a lace doily under his foot and, after some consideration, cleaned it and smoothed it out on the nearest end table.

Tonks knew how much he wanted the approval of his new in-laws; disagreement could not come easy at this stage.

"The wards at the Burrow and here fell immediately when the Ministry collapsed," Remus continued. "That makes me think that the same thing must have happened to every Order safe house. If two Death Eaters report that this place was different, someone will either want to find out why or suspect a memory charm. Either way, they'd be back and better prepared."

"Do you have a different idea?" Tonks asked. Something he said had struck her for a different reason and she wanted to hurry this along so she could ask him about it.

"Let them think they were successful, that you told them everything you knew."

Tonks was immediately on board. "We could give them false information! Send the Death Eaters in the wrong direction and give the Order time to get back on its feet! What did they want to know?"

"Just two questions," Ted replied. "Where is Harry Potter and what is the Order planning?"

"That's unlucky. We don't know the answer to either one of those, we could tell them the right thing accidentally."

"The Order doesn't have a plan?" Andromeda exclaimed. Tonks could almost see the cocoon spinning behind her eyes. She had spoken far too quickly.

"Not much of one, at least," Remus said hurriedly. "Go to ground, look out for each other, find ways to fight back."

"So we tell them there's going to be a massive counteroffensive," Tonks decided. "And Harry's in the wind, no one besides he, Ron, and Hermione know where they are or what they're going to do, so we just tell the Death Eaters the place they're least likely to be. Like central London, they'd have to be fools to go there."

"No, someplace different," Remus countered immediately. "Say he's gathering support on the continent or something."

"Gathering support? Have you met Harry? And what's wrong with London?"

Remus ducked his head. "Fair point. But-" he dropped his voice, "you know what's in London."

For a moment Tonks didn't, but she realized what he meant quickly enough. "You think they're stupid enough to go there? Snape could have told everyone by now!"

"I think they're scared teenagers and they'll go to the first safe place they can think of."

"But it's not safe!"

"All right, all right, I can tell you two are trying very hard not to say something," Ted interjected. "Let's assume that both London and the continent are not options. Where else wouldn't Harry go?"

The answer came to Tonks immediately. "Snape's house! It's perfect, we say Harry's in a fit of rage and has sworn to off Snape immediately. Then a whole contingent of Death Eaters goes and busts down the door! Maybe a few of them will get killed before they figure it out."

"It's not the _most_ ridiculous thing I've ever heard," Remus replied, smirking at her, "but that's a high mark. You would not believe some of the excuses Fred and George gave for not doing their Defense homework."

Tonks stuck her tongue out at him.

"Hogwarts," Andromeda said. Everyone turned to look at her again. "Dumbledore's grave. He's gone to get some last inspiration from his old headmaster then take up a fortified position and wait for You-Know-Who to come to him. No students are there yet, right?"

Remus shook his head. There might be a few teachers, Tonks thought, but they could probably handle themselves.

"It's true, I don't think he would go there," Remus agreed after a moment. "Plus, Dumbledore once said that Tom Riddle thought he had some sort of connection to Hogwarts."

"Maybe it would worry our new evil overlord to think Harry had gone there," Tonks continued for him.

"Are we agreed, then?" Andromeda asked. No one dissented. "Good. Who is least rusty on memory charms?"

The four of them exchanged a few dubious looks. They were so unprepared for this.

Eventually, Tonks relented and said, "I'll do it," though she really was out of practice.

Memory charms were more the Magical Reversal Squad's domain, but she probably was the most capable in the present company. Her mother could have pressed their socks without taking them off their feet, but when it came to memory charms she was more likely to leave them thinking they were rubber ducks. On the other hand, Ted could probably expound on the theory of memory charms until the Death Eaters decided to wipe their own minds. Tonks decided to hold that option in reserve. She raised her wand.

"Wait," Andromeda interrupted immediately.

"What!" Tonks demanded, startled. Did she realize how much concentration memory charms took?

"Make them think they only found me here, not Ted. I don't think they bought the half-blood story."

That didn't bode well.

Tonks took care with the charm. Voldemort's skill with Legilimens was well known to the Order. Erasing an entire person from the scene was difficult enough, and she was certain that if she left any crack, any inconsistency, in their remaining memories Voldemort would see through it in an instant. That meant leaving as much of the truth as possible, the initial resistance, finally some reluctant answers, then more revelations when Andromeda discovered what cooperation brought her, and eventually Travers and Yaxley's agreement that they had gotten all they could. At the end, she woke the two Death Eaters, watched reluctantly as Remus returned the wands to their limp hands, and sent the dazed pair outside and back to their master. Everyone breathed a little easier when the door shut behind them.

That task finished, Tonks pulled Remus aside.

"When you said you thought all the Order safe houses had been compromised, do you think yours…ours was too?" The arrangement was still new enough to cause her some linguistic confusion.

Remus just nodded.

"Shouldn't we go see?" After turning away the Death Eaters that attacked the Burrow, she had been so concerned with checking on her parents that it hadn't occurred to her that their own house might have become vulnerable as well.

"No, please stay," Andromeda said immediately, looking from Tonks to Remus to Tonks again, her expression desperate. Apparently their conversation had not been as private as supposed, or she had simply guessed the topic.

"I'll go," Remus offered. "You stay with your parents for now."

"You can't go by yourself," Tonks said. "It's too dangerous. And you know I'm the better fighter."

"I'll stay out of sight and Disapparate at the first sign of trouble," Remus said. "Once we have a little information we can go back with a real plan. Your parents need you right now."

Tonks glanced over at her parents, who were still eavesdropping shamelessly and looking at her with hopeful eyes.

"Fine," Tonks said, clearly outnumbered. She stood on tiptoe to give Remus a quick kiss and added, "Be safe."

"Of course," Remus replied. "I'll be back soon."

Tonks turned away as the door closed behind him and said, "Shall I make tea?"

Her parents must have been in an even worse state than she realized. She had once literally set water on fire after making a similar offer.

The three Tonkses had barely settled around the table, mugs of steaming tea in front of them, when all the lights went out at once and the refrigerator stopped its familiar, forgotten hum. No light even drifted in from the streetlamps outside.

"Still with the electricity, Dad?" Tonks asked, lighting her wand.

"How can you trust a light that has to be reminded to stay on?" he replied, getting up to cast cooling charms on the refrigerator. "The number of times I've had my train of thought derailed…"

"Something tells me you're going to have to get used to it this time," Tonks said, pointing her wand at the lamp overhead and causing it to glow. The quality of the light was different, but it was still better than wandlight or candles.

"For our neighbor's sake, I hope you're wrong about that," Andromeda said. "What else needs electricity?"

Before Ted could reply there was a knock at the door. The trio jumped as one and Tonks nearly upset her cup. She had been trying to drink the still too hot tea in a misjudged attempt to hide her nerves.

Tonks drew her wand and strode to the door, lighting more bulbs along the way. "Who is it?"

"It's Remus."

Her heart unclenched a little, but she the rest of her held firm. How was he back so quickly? "What's the password?"

"The Dark Phoenix Saga. What's the password?"

Not so long ago, those passwords had seemed like a silly precaution. Not anymore.

"The Amazing Spiderman number 275: The Choice and the Challenge."

"That appears to be in order," Remus said, and Tonks could hear the strain in his voice. She pulled open the door.

"Get in here."

She had intended to hug him immediately but was impeded by the bundle he had made of his cloak. The look in his eyes told her that it was not good news, but just the sight of him back was enough for her. She pulled the bundle out of his arms, tossed it aside, and got down to business.

"The house is firewood," Remus said into her shoulder. "I grabbed a few things, but really there's nothing left."

"We'll figure something out," Tonks replied, squeezing him. "Are you all right?"

"Whoever did it had come and gone."

"That's not what I meant. That was your parents' house."

"I…" Remus trailed off. Tonks understood. He had a complicated relationship with the place; his childhood and adolescence in that house was filled with great and terrible memories. As an adult he had only stayed because he could not afford to live someplace else. They had intended to tip the scale back with more good memories there together, but now…

"Clean slate, okay?"

Remus nodded and squeezed her back.

"What happened to the lights?"

"They cut the power."

After a little while of this, someone cleared their throat and they broke apart to find Tonks's parents standing across the sitting room.

"Won't you join us for some tea, Remus," Andromeda invited. "I think all we have things to discuss."

Tonks and Remus followed them back to the dining area. They had already poured another mug.

"Thank you for your hospitality, Mrs. Tonks, Mr. Tonks," Remus said, barely sitting on the edge of his chair. "I'll…we'll…I'll be on my way…"

Andromeda waved him off. "First, please call me Andromeda and him Ted, as we've discussed before. Second, won't you stay with us?"

"Stay?" Remus asked, like the idea had never occurred to him. It had barely occurred to Tonks. Move back in with her parents?

"For as long as you like, as long as you need, as long as you can stand us." Andromeda gave a self-deprecating chuckle. "You both need a roof, and we'd feel much better with the two of you around."

Move back in with her parents indefinitely?

"But…" Remus started.

"At least for tonight," Andromeda cut in. "It's too late to figure out anything else."

"But I'm…"

"It's really easier if you don't argue, son," Ted said. "I thought you would have figured that out by now."

Tonks crumpled up a napkin and tossed it at him.

"I'm a…!"

"They know already," Tonks said. "You've told them enough times. We'll figure something out."

Remus hesitated, then relented. "All right."

It was obvious what he had been calculating. Ten days until the full moon. Plenty of time.

"I'm sure this will look better in the daylight, so if you'll all excuse me, I'm going to take a short cut." Andromeda replied, getting up. She took her and Ted's empty mugs into the kitchen. "Remus, Nymphadora can show you to where you'll be sleeping," she added when she passed back through the dining room. "Good night."

"I'll head up too," Ted said, following her to the stairs. "We'll bring you both some pajamas and clothes."

Tonks turned to Remus, sure that he would start protesting again now that it was one on one, but he surprised her.

"What do you think about staying here?" he asked. "They're your parents."

Honestly, Tonks had to give it some thought. She started to pull her feet up to the seat of the chair with her knees in front of her, paused when she remembered she was wearing a dress, and proceeded anyway.

"But what would we do?" she asked eventually. "Who knows how long we'll be stuck here? Do we play board games every night? Start having Taco Tuesdays?"

"I don't know," Remus admitted. "But the Death Eaters clearly think your parents are a target...they're not fighters, Tonks."

He was right. If it had taken just a little longer to turn away the Death Eaters that attacked the Burrow, or if Tonks and Remus had decided to check on their own house first, she might not have parents anymore. That felt like a punch in the chest.

"They're in danger because of me. If I wasn't in the Order they could just hide like we did during the last war."

"I'm not sure that's true, the last war never got this far. So we're staying?"

Tonks nodded. "At least for now." But she knew she wasn't fooling anyone. The four of them would stay together for the duration.

"I'll just double check the wards," Remus said, touching her knee as he stood.

After seeing to their still full mugs of tea, Tonks decided to take care of boarding up the fireplace. Remus must have been doing a very thorough job checking over the wards, because he was still at it by the time she was finished. Tonks let him work and turned instead to the abandoned bundle of objects they had left inside his cloak near the door. She pulled open a fold and found her own face beaming up at her. It was a picture from their wedding day. The frame was cracked and the glass broken but the picture itself looked unharmed. She tried to repair the frame but a large piece of glass was missing, she could not do much without it. Deeper inside, she found her favorite coat, and finally a stack of comic books. Those had made up the bulk of the bundle. She extracted the Spiderman comic "The Night Gwen Stacy Died" and flipped through its worn pages.

"At least they left those," Remus said, coming up behind her.

"Probably didn't know what they were," Tonks sniffed, shutting the book and getting to her feet. "I haven't seen my room here in a while and they use it for guests sometimes. This could be embarrassing, but come on up. I'm dead on my feet."

Remus followed her to her childhood bedroom where, as promised, two pairs of pajamas and a few sets of day clothes waited for them. Those took some stretching and shrinking to bring them to the correct proportions, and in Tonks' case, the removal of some frills and flowers. The features of the room came next: they had to expand the bed so it could accommodate two people, then increase the dimensions of the room to give themselves space to move. The location was close enough to her parents' room to be awkward, but nothing a silencing charm couldn't fix, she supposed. Remus remarked on her multitude of Weird Sisters posters, but left off and examined the bookshelf instead while she took them down.

They settled down under the covers with their hands clasped and foreheads touching, but every time Tonks closed her eyes she saw the split second where Molly threw herself between Ginny and Rookwood and Tonks threw a table between them and the curse he sent at them, or else the time when Remus only dodged one of Rodolphus's curses because he stumbled over a fallen Death Eater at the right second, or any one of a hundred other terrifyingly close calls.

"Are you awake?" she whispered.

"Yeah," Remus whispered back. "You?"

Tonks smiled in spite of herself.

"I don't know why, but I thought we'd have more time."

"Me too. It's hard to believe all that really happened."

He pressed his lips against her knuckles.

"What are we gonna do?" she asked.

He just shook his head and pulled her closer.


	3. Wait and hope!

Author's Note: Thanks to everyone who's be reading so far, and an extra thank to those who have left reviews. The chapter title comes from _The Count of Monte Cristo_ by Alexandre Dumas. Ted's first song is "They're Coming to Take me Away" by Napoleon XIV. His second song is from Monty Python's Life of Brian.

 **Chapter 3: All human wisdom is contained in these words: Wait and hope!**

Andromeda had most likely known all along that their situation would not look any better in the morning, only better illuminated. Instead, the daylight only served to prove that the horrors of the previous night had not been a dream. Conversely, Ted's actual dream had put him in a very polite argument with the keeper of an ill-stocked cheese shop. Waking up had been an unusually grave disappointment.

And it all kept looking worse and worse every time Ted turned the page of the _Daily Prophet_. The new regime had not taken the night off, it seemed. He picked up his tea and took a sip, hoping to fortify himself against what he would find next. It was not enough, but he persisted nevertheless. Someone had to find out what they were up against.

After finishing her own breakfast, Andromeda had taken one look out the back door, exclaimed, "What did they do to the garden!" and had been working outside ever since.

Tonks and – Actually, what was he supposed to call her now? Somehow, Ted hadn't considered it before. Tonks-Lupin seemed a mouthful; Lupin ambiguous, plus he did not think his daughter was the type to take her husband's name; Dora was best reserved for special occasions; and calling her Nymphadora was a good way to earn himself a withering look and get the rest of what he had to say ignored. She seemed to think that Ted should have put his foot down on that matter, and sometimes Ted would wonder if she had a point. At least he could have argued for a solid middle name.

Anyway, Tonks and Remus had yet to put in an appearance. But it was nothing a good silencing charm couldn't remedy, Ted sincerely hoped. There was a word for what those two were, if he could only think of it. For some reason all he was getting was something about a deer and an owl.

Ted turned the page of the _Daily Prophet_ without much hope, and the next piece of news met his expectations with gusto. He had already known that he would not be going in to work that day, but these writers were really driving the point home. This Committee to Investigate Magical Origins sounded truly menacing and somewhat misnamed. He knew what they meant, Muggle-borns were going to be registered, then rounded up, then Merlin knew what, but he could not help but amuse himself with the notion that some committee member would fail to do his or her homework and ask Ted in for a consultation. He would have a few suggestions for them in that case, no doubt about it.

He looked up at a sudden clatter at the top of the stairs, and watched Tonks and Remus descend to the ground floor, wearing Ted and Andromeda's heavily altered clothes. The lack of warning footsteps overhead suggested to Ted that a silencing charm was indeed in use, and…Twitterpated! That was the word he had been searching for all morning. What did it mean anyway? And why had he thought of it in the first place? In the end, Ted had to just shake it off. His head had been doing strange things to him since the previous night.

"Morning," he said to the late risers as they approached the table. "There's porridge on the stove and coffee in the carafe. I recommend you warm them up first."

Remus stepped into the kitchen and returned with two steaming mugs of coffee, but Tonks only stood behind her accustomed seat at the table, leaning on the back of her chair.

She said something in an undertone to Remus as he placed a mug at her spot. Ted had to turn it over in his head a few times to hear what she said, but he thought it was, "You're sure Patronuses can't send what they see back to their caster?"

Remus responded at only a slightly higher volume. "If they could, I'm sure Dumbledore would have figured it out and taught us."

Ted was doing some figuring out of his own. He rattled the newspaper as he turned to the next page and tried not to listen to them, unsuccessfully.

"I don't know, Kingsley's pretty good."

"At least we know he's all right."

"But at what cost?"

This was getting to be too much. Ted cleared his throat, pointedly.

Tonks glanced at him, then over to Remus, then changed the subject. "I'm going into the office," she said to the room at large

That declaration, at least, was no more than Ted had expected, although he had hoped that she would stop for some breakfast first. There really was no softening the news he had to impart, but surely a full stomach would not hurt.

"You should take a look at this." Ted slid the first page of the newspaper over to her and pointed out the first article under the fold.

"The _Prophet_?" she protested. "Dad, why do you still read this?"

"I like their crosswords. Just give it a look, Tonks." He used her maiden name without thinking about it, but she did not protest. That could have been a sign of acceptance or mere distraction. She sank into her chair and her face lost more and more color as she read about the reorganization of the Ministry.

"Pius Thicknesse named Minister. Wizengamot disbanded, to be replaced by judgment by the Minister himself or his appointed deputy, Dolores Umbridge. Department of Mysteries turned to weapons research. They mean dark magic, don't they? The Committee to Investigate Magical Origins has been formed with Dolores Umbridge as its head, they should ask you to consult, Dad. Oh, poor Arthur! The Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Office has been deemed redundant and its employees nonconformists! And…" Here she finally sank weakly into her chair. "And the Department of Magical Law Enforcement has been redirected to keeping peace among the populace and stamping down any sign of rebellion. The Auror office has been given the important task of tracking and down and bringing to justice the dissident group the Order of the Phoenix and undesirable number one, Harry James Potter."

"Undesirable?" Remus asked, reading over her shoulder.

"That's what it says. The rest I paraphrased," Tonks muttered. "Well, I'm fired. And if I'm not fired, then I quit."

"Speaking as someone who's been fired a few times, there are worse things," Remus said, stirring his porridge a lot but only taking the occasional nibble. "You could find a hobby."

Tonks crossed her arms on the table in front of her and buried her head. "Don't make fun," she said in a muffled voice. "I'm going to lose my mind. You fired too, Dad?"

"Oh, definitely."

Tonks raised a hand. Ted high fived it.

"Mum?"

"Hard to say yet, but I imagine so," Ted replied. He could see where she was going with these questions. For the moment it seemed that Remus, a full-time member of the Order, was the only one who still had a job. While that had many advantages, none of them was a paycheck. "For the moment I believe your mother has found gainful employment in the garden. And we have plenty of savings. We'll manage until we can figure something else out."

"I've got some too," Tonks added, sitting up. "Maybe I should go to Gringotts before they tighten things down any further." She picked up her coffee, raised it half way to her mouth, then her eyebrows twitched and she put it back down again. "Should I change it for Muggle money? That sounds so extreme to say out loud."

It didn't sound in the least extreme to Ted and, he suspected, not to Remus either, but he had to say instead, "You can't." The reason was on the second page of the _Daily Prophet_ , which Ted pushed over to Remus, letting Tonks think for the moment that he only meant they weren't allowing people to exchange wizarding money for Muggle. Maybe the rest of it would come better from someone who fell under identical restrictions.

Remus found the offending article immediately. Probably he knew what to look for.

"Ministry Enacts Shapeshifter Tracking," he read, frowning. "In order to better protect the population from the threat posed from magic-folk able to change their form, willingly or otherwise, the Ministry is beginning a program to track the whereabouts of those with shapeshifting abilities. These individuals, who include werewolves, animagi, and metamorphmagi, must already register-"

"What!" Tonks shouted, surging to her feet. "Are they tracking us already or do they have to do something? How are they going to do it? What are they planning to do with the people who refuse? I want to be prepared!"

Remus skimmed the rest. "It says they'll ask us to report to the Ministry, but I'd bet the spell is actually contained in the letters they'll send about it. It doesn't say what spell, though."

"Then I bet they're kicking themselves for destroying our house," Tonks muttered.

"It's Azkaban for any shapeshifter who's caught without a tracker." Remus finished.

There was a bit more, but perhaps Remus was wise to leave out the _Prophet_ 's conclusion that society would be much safer with such menaces under supervision.

"Well they're going to have a hard time catching me!"

Tonks moved her complaints to the sitting room and started experimenting with disguises in the mirror over the boarded up fireplace, still grumbling loudly.

Remus leaned around the staircase to watch, but kept his seat.

"It's probably best to leave her alone with this for a little while," Ted said, but Remus already knew, of course.

"Any trouble for Muggle-borns?" he asked, turning back to Ted.

"Registration for now," Ted replied, picking up his spoon idly before remembering that he had finished his breakfast an hour ago. "Later?" He shrugged.

"Are you going to do it?"

The speed of Ted's own answer surprised him. He had no memory of reaching a decision.

"Not a chance."

Ted had not conducted himself very bravely during the First War, he felt. In hindsight, it seemed that he had hidden behind his pure-blood wife. At the time he had told himself and her that they needed to protect their young daughter, but now he felt as though he needed to take a stand or two to make up for it.

"Are you going to submit to this tracking?" Ted asked Remus.

"Seems unwise," he replied lightly. "I'm already a known dissident. Besides, Tonks would probably divorce me."

They sat in silence for a few minutes while Remus finished his coffee and Ted filled a few letters into the crossword. On consideration, he was not sure if he liked the _Daily Prophet_ 's puzzles so much after all: one of the clues was 'Dingbat, also recent Hogwarts headmaster.'

Eventually, Remus cleared his throat and asked, "Do you have a strong room in a cellar, or a shed, or anything like that? It's just, if I am going to stay for a while…"

"There's a potting shed, Andromeda keeps her gardening tools in it."

"Do you think she would mind if I took it over for a night every month? I'll reinforce it, but can't really vouch for the state it will be in afterwards."

"I'm sure she won't. Would you like some help?" Ted knew what they were talking about but spoke before quite realizing that he was offering to help build a cage for his son-in-law.

Before Ted had the chance to figure out how Remus had interpreted the intent of his offer, they were interrupted by an odd, amphibious, throat clearing noise from near the foot of the stairs and they both turned to see Dolores Umbridge stump into the room.

"How's this?" she asked.

Even though they knew it was only Tonks – she was still wearing the same clothes as before – the mimicry was so convincing that both Ted and Remus released alarm cries and jumped to their feet. Remus was so quick he knocked his chair over. Tonks, meanwhile, started laughing so hard that she collapsed against the banister, being too short at the moment to collapse over it.

"I am going to have so much fun with you guys," she giggled.

"Ah, Merlin," Ted gasped with a hand on his chest. "You're supposed to knock, Tonks! We all agreed!"

"That would ruin the surprise."

"Yes, rather," Ted agreed. "Let's go see about that shed, Remus. You know, when she was nine or ten there were about two months when every single morning she would turn up looking like a different grotesquery. She rather lost her art museum privileges after that. It started with Picasso paintings, but quickly enough it was bugs, then monsters. Once her entire head was just a mouth. I came down one morning to find a miniature version of Voldemort himself eating cereal. Andromeda gave her such…a…"

Umbridge and Remus…no…Tonks and Remus drew wands instantly. It took Ted several moments longer to figure out why, but finally he placed it: something had stopped, something so constant and normal that he barely even registered its presence, like a mains hum, only magical. It was the wards. Tonks and Remus were already at work replacing them, but the job took several minutes even with two well-practiced wizards. They were vulnerable.

"Andy!" Ted exclaimed, racing for the back door.

Outside, Ted took in the scene in a heartbeat. Ten steps ahead and five to the right, at the opposite corner of the garden, Andromeda was giving life support to a row of carrot plants, apparently oblivious to everything other than her task. Another two steps behind her, a Death Eater was clambering over the fence, with difficulty. This one Ted recognized: it was Lucius Malfoy, his own brother-in-law, not that either one of them was likely to acknowledge the connection if they saw each other on the street.

As Ted raced to his wife, ignoring the tidy, stone-lined path in favor of the direct route that led him right through some unlucky tomato plants that got crushed under his socks, his over-clocked mind pointed out to him that Death Eaters did not seem to wear masks anymore, or maybe Malfoy had simply lost his. The invader looked exhausted, like he had been climbing people's fences all night.

Andromeda did not look up and see Ted until he was half a bound away. Her lips pursed in the beginning of a question but he cut her off, shouting "Wand!" and in an unexpected feat of strength that would leave him apologizing for weeks under normal circumstances, and perhaps in this one too, he grabbed her arm with his off hand and pulled her to her feet and around to face Malfoy in one sharp yank. She fumbled at her pockets for a moment, then swore and gripped her gardening spade with both hands.

That was about where Ted's makeshift plan ended. Apparently they only had one wand between them, and neither one was much of a fighter, no match for a Death Eater, certainly. Defense Against the Dark Arts class seemed like a very long time ago. Ted had only managed an Acceptable on that O.W.L. and counted himself lucky. Probably the only reason Malfoy had not already done whatever he was planning to do was because their fence was taller than most, a precaution against the curiosity of their Muggle neighbors, and perhaps some quick thinking on the part of Tonks or Remus. They must have started with a ward that prevented Malfoy from crossing onto the property using magic.

Lacking any better ideas, Ted aimed a spray of sparks at Malfoy, hoping to startle him off the fence; he had finally hooked a knee over. He missed, widely, and realized that he had aimed and fired with his eyes closed. Instead, their owl Quicksilver was startled out of the nearby tree and winged away. Malfoy actually chuckled. He was going to get them.

Ted searched his memory. There was a spell that was supposed to knock things backward, Impeda-something. How did the rest go? What was the wand movement? All he was getting was the lyrics to another odd song from his youth.

"They're coming to take me away, ho-ho, hee-hee, ha-ha, to the funny farm where life is beautiful all the time…"

He remembered being a teenager when he first heard that song, watching his younger brother marching around the house, singing it at the top of his lungs, not really understanding what he was saying. Now, that less than useless piece of trivia seemed to be the only thing in his head.

"You should take this," Ted said to Andromeda, passing over his wand. "I can't think."

She had frozen. They were dead.

Just as Malfoy reached the tipping point, the right ward went up and he was blown back off the fence. Ted swayed on his feet and nearly dropped to his knees on a broccoli plant. That had been far too close.

Andromeda was still holding the spade out like a dagger. Ted gently took her by the shoulders and guided her to the path and back toward the house, which was when he discovered that a second Death Eater had been sneaking up behind them. He must have used the gate. Malfoy might have been a distraction all along. Caught, the Death Eater raised his wand, then collapsed to the ground under a spell cast by Umbridge…no, by Tonks. She swept her wand over the garden and, apparently satisfied, let Remus boost her part way over the fence so she could get Malfoy's memory, levitated the unconscious Death Eater back out the gate, and started changing back into her usual self.

"What the hell happened?" Tonks demanded when they had all gathered in the dining room and she had her normal voice back. As she spoke she summoned her mother's wand from wherever it had been and pointedly laid it on the table on front of her.

"The wards collapsed," Remus said.

"I know that," Tonks said. "I want to know why."

But Ted recognized Remus's technique, he used it often himself.

"The wards collapsed and Death Eaters were alerted," Ted said, adding to Remus's thought.

"We just put them up," Tonks said. "Why would they collapse after…ten hours?"

Remus and Ted both shook their heads. Andromeda woke up. She set down the spade and pocketed her wand. Tonks let her do so without any additional scolding.

"It's hard to say for sure, but Malfoy looked tired, like he had been doing this all night," Ted said, putting a hand on Andromeda's knee. "And those two had a strategy."

"You think this has been happening to other people?" Tonks asked, looking worried. "We haven't gotten any Patronuses since Kingsley's this morning, and he didn't mention anything like this."

"Should we go check on them in person?" Andromeda asked.

"Yes!" Tonks exclaimed, jumping to her feet, and just like that the two of them were on good terms again.

"Hold on," Ted said, then had to check himself. "Just…be careful, it's Azkaban if you're caught, Tonks. I know you can take care of yourself, but…"

"I know, Dad, thanks."

"If you find anyone else that had the same thing happen, try and see if there's anything in common," Remus suggested.

"I've done some detective work," Tonks replied, touching his shoulder as she walked past. "I'll send a Patronus if we run into trouble."

When the two women had gone Ted asked, "Do you think it's something one of us did?"

"I just don't think we can rule out anything yet," Remus replied.

"In that case, I'll go do some research, see if I find anything that would cause wards to fail like that."

Remus nodded. "I'd offer to help, but I should go see about the shed first. There's…there's time yet, but I'd rather just have it sorted."

"Straight across the garden, you can't miss it," Ted explained. "And when you're finished, I'll be upstairs, to the left, and in the room at the end of the hall."

So they had their assignments. Ted gratefully disappeared into his.

The collection of books in Ted's study was unimpressive compared to the resources at his office, but since only Muggle-born registration awaited him there, what he had on hand would have to do. And it might serve well enough: he had a habit of buying books on the more esoteric topics of magic that Andromeda had long since given up criticizing or teasing him about. For years now, she only rolled her eyes whenever he disappeared into the dustier sections of any book store and went to get herself a cup of coffee.

Ancient wizardry was Ted's special passion, specifically the point when magic first appeared. Those who grew up knowing they were witches or wizards seemed to take it for granted that magic in its present form was a perpetual force in the universe, like gravity. Growing up as a Muggle must have given Ted a different view; he was convinced that there must have been a time before humans knew magic existed. Someone must have discovered it. Generations of people must have spent millennia and more figuring out the spells that were now taught in first year Charms. There must be a reason why they had to say 'Wingardium Leviosa' instead of 'Up,' and he wanted to know what it was. Who was the first person to learn how to Apparate, and what had that day been like?

For now, however, Ted would settle for something that would explain why their wards collapsed. He pulled a few likely looking books from the shelf and sat down at his desk with a stack of paper and a pen.

Remus must have done a very thorough job on the shed. By the time he appeared at the open door to the study, carefully balancing two plates of sandwiches and glasses of water, Ted had already filled three pages with notes and covered most of the horizontal surfaces with open books. He had to shift them around to find Remus a place to sit and to put their lunches.

"Will the shed work for you?" Ted asked, trying to keep his tone idly curious, just one man inquiring as to the state of another man's project. No sense in making Remus feel that Ted was concerned for everyone else's safety, especially since he was not. Well, not because of Remus, at least.

"It'll do," Remus said.

"Large enough?"

"It'll do."

Ted cringed and bit into his sandwich. He should have left it alone. Actually, on second thought, he shouldn't have, but he had to chew and swallow first.

"What've-" Remus began at the same time that Ted said, "It seems like-"

They glanced at each other.

"Sorry, go ahead," Remus invited, then frowned. Apparently, his habitual consideration had gotten in before his memory of what Ted had been talking about, but Ted pressed the advantage anyway. He had even gotten a few seconds to phrase his inquiry better.

"Tonks loves you, and that's good enough for me, but I would also like to get to know you better. If you'll let me."

"Oh, well, there's not much to tell," Remus said, pulling over the closest open book and inspecting the top page. "I was bitten when I was four. Do you think we'll need the Fidelius charm?"

Four! But Ted had to set that aside for the moment.

"I hope not, but it's the strongest ward magic anyone's ever found. At the moment I'm just using it as a basis for comparison," Ted replied. "And that's not what I meant. I want to know more about who you are for the other twenty-nine days and twenty-eight nights of the lunar cycle."

Honestly, the man seemed to think that Ted and Andromeda's lack of concern over his lycanthropy meant that they didn't understand what it meant.

Remus took a bite of his sandwich. Ted let him have his moment to think, but then Remus asked, "What have you found?"

"Well, I think I know why the wards collapsed when Scrimgeour was killed," Ted replied, allowing him to have his own way for the moment.

"…Oh?"

"I know what you're thinking. That it's not the real question, but it is a question, and it was easier."

"When someone dies the spells they've cast are undone, or else distributed," Remus said. He looked around the room as he spoke, caught sight of a picture hanging near the door that showed Tonks at age five or so, playing on the beach, her long hair matching her blue bathing suit, and breathed, "Wow."

"Keep that picture to yourself. She'd probably hex me if she knew I'd let you see it," Ted instructed. "But about the wards, the trouble is that Scrimgeour didn't cast them, so why did they die with him? Dumbledore and Tonks had more of a hand in them than anyone else, and they didn't even wobble the night Dumbledore was killed."

Remus was inspecting the rest of the walls with interest now, no doubt looking for more incriminating evidence, but he was out of luck in that case. There was a portrait of a much younger Andromeda and Ted buried somewhere on the desk, but most of the rest of Ted's collection was in his office at the Institute of Magical Research.

"I hope you're not going to tell me that the Ministry has the power to turn off warding spells whenever they feel like it because our side lost a Goblin war or something," Remus said.

"No, it's nothing like that. You see, magic has to be pinned to something. Usually, that thing is the intention of the caster. I want a door unlocked, so I think of the right spell, wave my wand and it's unlocked. Once the door is open I release the spell, and my intention, and whether or not the door stays unlocked or not depends on its own mechanics," Ted explained. "What did you want to be when you grew up?"

"What? Oh."

"If bribery is more your style, Andromeda has piles of photo albums somewhere."

"Best not, I've seen Tonks's hexes. I wanted to be a fireman."

"Really?"

"My Mum was a Muggle. After a few years at Hogwarts I set my sights on the Department of Catastrophes. Same idea, come to think of it. Anyway, that didn't work out."

Ted knew the feeling. "You've got the Order, though. Seems like there are a few similarities."

"More than a few, some days. What's your point about releasing spells?"

"Well, similar to just letting go of a spell, when a witch or wizard dies, the intention is lost from all the spells they left active, and they would usually dissipate. You can overcome that by pinning a spell to something else. It doesn't even have to be something physical. I think that's what happened to the wards the first time. Wards are a force of protection, and up until yesterday the Ministry, for all its faults, was the largest single source of protection for all wizard-kind in this country."

"So, on some level, the wards were pinned to the existence of the Ministry," Remus said.

"Exactly, intentionally or not. And doing that might have even made them stronger. But when Scrimgeour was killed and Death Eaters took over, everything the Ministry stood for changed. It became a source of danger, the symbol the wards were pinned to disappeared, and the wards went with it. Or at least they were weakened to the point where the Death Eaters could break them down easily."

"Then the new wards are most likely pinned to Tonks and me, since we cast them. We should fix that, divide it among us."

"Houses are symbols of protection as well, they could be pinned to the building," Ted said. "I haven't found a way to determine what a spell is pinned to yet."

"Probably Dumbledore knew," Remus said, rubbing his cheek.

"Did you know Sirius tried to recruit Andromeda into the Order during the First War?"

Remus nodded. "She turned him down."

"I turned him down." Ted more or less blurted it. He took a few swallows of water.

"It's different when you're eighteen," Remus allowed. "I felt like I didn't have anything to lose the first time, other than my friends, and they were all joining up. Never thought it would work out like it did, though."

Ted knew it. Remus was staring at his own hands and seemed to have forgotten about his sandwich.

"Well…the wards might be weaker now, without the Ministry to pin to. But even so I don't think they collapsed on their own. I'm sure you and Tonks and skilled enough to build wards that last more than a few hours. I keep coming back to Hogwarts, I'd bet anything that all of its fundamental wards are just fine."

"Why?" Remus looked grateful for the change in topic.

"Because they predate the Ministry."

"I've seen them repaired, though," Remus countered. "I've helped."

"Doesn't matter, if the original caster pins a spell to something other than him or herself, that's what it stays pinned to."

"All right, so next time the wards collapse we need to make sure they are pinned to the building and not ourselves, but I'd rather they didn't collapse at all, and we still don't have a reason why they did."

"I'm not done looking, but I haven't found anything about wards themselves that explains what happened."

"What are you saying?"

"Like you suggested before, it might be something someone did. Not intentionally, but…"

Someone knocked on the door downstairs. Insistently.

"You know, Andromeda's the only one the Ministry isn't looking for," Ted realized. But she wasn't there to check the door.

"I'll get it," Remus said when whoever it was knocked again.

Ted followed him downstairs with what was left of their sandwiches and the pages of notes.

"We're back!" Tonks's said through the door when Remus asked who it was.

Ted and Remus both released identical, relieved sighs that Ted, at least, had not realized he was containing. Remus and Tonks still traded passwords. Once inside, Andromeda and Tonks made straight for the kitchen to prepare themselves a late lunch and the two men sat down at the table to join them.

"We mostly stayed at the Burrow but checked on everyone in the Order through Patronuses," Tonks reported around huge bites of her sandwich. She never did have much time for table manners. "They're all fine for now, send their regards. And I think we managed to shake off some of the people they had watching the Weasleys, although they definitely know something is going on there. Molly gave us some extra clothes they had around."

"What about…" Ted began. Tonks waved him off.

"Everyone's wards fell simultaneously last night…"

"What about Hogwarts? Was Hagrid there?"

"Oh." Tonks wrinkled her nose in thought and it briefly stuck. "Yes, he was, well, not during the coup, but when we visited, we talked through the gate. No good with Patronuses, Hagrid. Anyway, Hogwarts didn't have any trouble."

Ted and Remus exchanged looks.

"Since then, only one other place that we know of had its wards collapse again," Tonks continued. "Fred and George's shop. Not at the same time as ours, I asked. And Death Eaters knew immediately and tried to attack them, exactly like what happened to us. We sent word around to warn everyone, but…"

"You couldn't find anything in common?" Remus inferred.

"Nothing obvious," Tonks said. "Everyone in the Order cast more or less the same set of wards and they stayed up in most places. The buildings where they fell have different sizes, different locations, different numbers of occupants…"

"What about what the people inside were doing at the time?" Ted asked.

"You think someone did something to bring down their own wards?"

"It's all I've got. I'm not saying anyone would have done it on purpose."

"We didn't ask about that," Andromeda said. "Anyway, everyone's memory is probably a little hazy. I was in the garden."

"I was making myself look like Umbridge," Tonks added, gathering up everyone's dishes and placing them in the kitchen as she spoke. She returned with a deck of cards, which she shuffled and dealt. "And if making fun of her causes wards to collapse then we're going to have a problem." She glanced up and caught the questions on everyone else's faces. "If this conversation gets too academic I'm going to need something to do with my hands," she explained.

"Ted and I were talking just before it happened," Remus said.

"I was telling him about your habit of transforming yourself into Picasso paintings," Ted elaborated.

Tonks snorted. "You two wouldn't let me near modern art for years after that. Remus?"

"Yes?"

"Do you have any fives?"

"What? Oh." He inspected his cards. "No."

"The correct response is 'Go fish,'" Tonks said, taking a card from the pile. "Also, watch your fingers. This may or may not be an exploding snap deck."

"We need to figure this out," Ted insisted after handing a pair of sevens over to Andromeda. "If we don't it will happen again." He tried to prove his point by relieving Tonks of her fives and laying the set on the table.

"It's called multitasking. Your turn Remus."

Remus fished his wish, then there was a sharp knock on the door just as Tonks took Ted's eight. Four heart rates immediately doubled, Ted felt his might have tripled. Andromeda and Tonks jumped to their feet.

"Let me get it," Andromeda said.

"No way."

"We're not expecting anyone friendly."

"Exactly."

Whoever it was knocked again, harder.

"The three of you are in hiding."

"It could be dangerous, Mum."

"Let me try to get them to go away, you hide and listen. I'm counting on you to come to my rescue if anything goes wrong."

"I don't like this," Tonks said, but she sat back down.

"I know." Andromeda headed for the door. She waited to make sure everyone was out of sight, then called out, "Who's there?"

"Ministry Census Bureau. Open up, Ma'am."

Andromeda complied, but only part way. "What can I do for you?" she asked through the cracked door. Unfortunately, they could not see the visitor from the table.

"You are Andromeda Tonks, formerly Andromeda Black?"

"Yes."

"I am attempting to locate your daughter, Nymphadora Tonks, and the werewolf Remus Lupin."

"Well, you'll have to keep looking. I haven't seen Nymphadora in months. We haven't spoken since she failed to take my advice regarding that werewolf."

Ted glanced at Remus and saw him cringe. He tried to catch the other man's eye and relay without words that Andromeda didn't mean what she had just said. Tonks's method was more effective; she just took his hand and shook her head.

"Then I suppose you won't mind if I take a look around?" the census taker continued.

"In fact I do. If that's all, then you should be on your way."

"One more question. We also have a special interest in your husband, the Mudblood Edward Theodore Tonks."

Special interest?

"I don't know where you're getting your information, but he's a half-blood, and I kicked him out years ago."

"As you may be aware, all Muggle-borns are now required to register with the Ministry."

"I just told you he's a half-blood."

For some reason, this sent a new song running through Ted's head.

"The punishment for failing to comply with this directive is imprisonment in Azkaban."

"If I see him, I'll let him know. Anything else?"

"Not at the moment. Please take this informational material."

"All right, bu-bye now."

Andromeda shut the door and returned to the table, dropping two pamphlets in front of them. They were titled "Shapeshifters: Hidden Menace" and "Muggle-borns: Usurpers of Magic." Ted picked up the one about Muggle-borns, singing, "Always look on the bright side of life" under his breath.

"Did you know metamorphmagi can use the memories of someone they impersonate physically?" Tonks asked, reading from the leaflet on shapeshifters. "Because I didn't. Sounds handy, though. Hey Mum, think of a number."

Andromeda raised an eyebrow at her new doppelganger.

"Pineapple?"

"Seven."

"Damn."

"Apparently the metal structure of werewolves more closely resembles that of wolves than humans at all times, not just during the full moon," Remus said, reading over Tonks's shoulder while she turned her face back to normal.

"They must have only talked to Greyback," she replied, turning the page.

"According to this, there is no such thing as Muggle-born wizards," Ted said.

"Really?" Tonks asked. "What about Muggle-born witches?"

Ted scanned the document. "Doesn't say."

"Ah, well, sorry Dad. What's up with you and the Muggle songs, by the way?"

Ted didn't know.

"Are we going to play or what?" Andromeda asked. No one else seemed to notice, but she was shaking and unsteady when she sat back down at the table. Ted put a hand on her knee. "Because I would really like to know if Remus has any tens."

"Go fish," Remus said, picking up his cards. "What do you three think about the Fidelius charm?"

"No way," Tonks countered immediately.

"Why not, and do you have any twos?"

"We're not hiding!" But she handed over a card.

"They already know to look for us here!"

"We can't," Andromeda replied. Everyone turned surprised looks at her. "Harry's been here, what if he tries to come to us for help?"

Ted hadn't thought of that. "That probably won't be the last time someone from the Ministry comes looking around here," he pointed out. She was the one who would have to handle those sorts of visits.

"I know."

"Do you have any eights to go with that attitude, Mum?"

Andromeda pointed at the pile, but it disappeared in a puff of smoke before Tonks could reach it.

* * *

Somehow, their small group began to find a routine over the calm of the next several days. Ted spent the bulk of his time in the study, trying and failing to find out what had caused their wards to fail. The lack of explanation left them all feeling that it could happen again at any time, but Tonks seemed the most affected. She tried to stay constantly on alert, slept only in fits and starts, and had little appetite.

On the other hand, Tonks also did not take the enforced confinement easily. At least once every day or two she would don a disguise and announce she was going to check on the other members of the Order. The first time she must have also visited the ruins of her and Remus's house, because she returned with a stack of comic books, a picture of Remus with his parents, and a singed but cozy looking blanket. After that, though, Ted started wondering why the rest of the Order needed so much checking on, until the first day Remus went with her and revealed when they got back that she had actually been helping Bill and Fleur finish their interrupted move from the Burrow to Shell Cottage.

Remus proved an able hand at cleaning and cooking, a good omen since Tonks had never bothered much about either. He shared those responsibilities with Andromeda in good grace, apparently just glad to have found a way to contribute. At other times he floated between helping Ted with his research, assisting Andromeda in the garden, or doubling and tripling the reinforcements on the potting shed. Once Ted's curiosity got the better of him and he went outside to inspect the project while Remus was in the shower. Privately, he thought that shed could have contained a fully grown dragon, even with a hurricane going on outside.

Andromeda seemed to be holding up the best of any of them, although sometimes it was difficult for even Ted to guess her state of mind. The one thing he knew for certain was that she had found a real purpose in her garden, securing a reliable food source in case their situation really went to the Chimeras, and as the day when she would ordinarily begin her usual work approached she threw herself into her task with greater and greater fervor.

The first real disruption to their rhythm came ten days after the Ministry fell. Ted had understood intellectually all along that Remus was a werewolf and that sooner or later a full moon would rise, but it was another thing entirely to see that ordinarily kind and gentle soul stalk out of a room in anger after making a poor move in chess that cost him a bishop.

That evening, Tonks knocked on the door frame of Ted's study and asked to borrow the biggest book on potions that he had, saying she would need something to read, so Ted stood and pulled a heavy volume off a high shelf. She turned immediately to the index, then to the table of contents, then asked for his second biggest potions book. It took them a few tries to find what she was actually looking for, and success seemed to bring her no joy, she simply thanked him and returned downstairs.

Without really planning it, Andromeda and Ted left the younger pair alone when night began to fall and Tonks had to lock her husband in the reinforced potting shed. They only realized as they finished their tea that at least an hour had passed and Tonks still had not returned inside, so they went out to investigate.

They found Tonks sitting in the grass, leaning against the shed and reading the heavy potions book by wandlight. From time to time a yip or howl escaped the shed, and once as they watched something big and strong threw itself against the inside of the enclosure so hard that Tonks was actually bounced off the outside of it.

Shadow-blinded by her own wandlight, Tonks did not notice her parents' approach until Ted spoke up.

"Are you worried he might be able to break out?" Because he wasn't.

Tonks sucked in a breath, whether in surprise or something else Ted could not tell.

"No, it's not that. I just like to sit here. Maybe he'll know I'm nearby, that's all."

"May we join you?" Andromeda asked.

"Oh…um, all right."

Andromeda and Ted sank to the ground on either side of her. Ted was not surprised to discover that she had been reading the instructions for making Wolfsbane potion. He gave it a glance himself and found that he did not much like his own chances with it.

"I don't think I'm good enough to make this," Tonks said, turning back to the book herself. "Look at this: ambient air at fifteen and a half percent humidity for twenty seconds? I don't even know how to control that. And then there are the ingredients. Where are you even supposed to get Occamy eggs? Look at this last step: 'Strain through crushed moon rocks.'"

Ted agreed. "It's like they're playing a joke."

"Well at least you don't have to get new moon rocks every time," Andromeda pointed out, both pragmatic and optimistic.

Tonks snorted. "Ah, Merlin," she muttered.

"I know it's not ideal, but the situation is contained like this," Ted said.

Something snuffled at the base of the wall behind them. Tonks patted the boards at the spot.

"You have no idea how much this hurts him."

"Well, someone must be able to make this potion," Andromeda pointed out.

"There's one person I know of, but we're not asking him."

Ted chose not to press the matter.

"In that case, we'd better figure out where they keep the moon rocks."


	4. There is no known cure

**Chapter 4: There is no known cure**

In hindsight, Remus probably should have known that Tonks had something up her sleeve when she suggested that they all play charades that afternoon. Even though he missed that one, the speed at which she countered her mother's proposal that they play boys versus girls with her own, young versus old, should have tipped him off as well. But it did not, he even missed the chance to ask who would be on her team, in that case.

It was not his day for guessing things, nor, it seemed, for making his own mind guessable, and the scores showed it. Remus glanced again at the slip of paper he had drawn from the bowl. It said 'Strawberry Pie' and he was at a loss. He had spent at least half his time just getting across that it was a type of food and was now standing there making a circle shape with his hands, having given up on the 'strawberry' part entirely while Tonks gamely tossed out words like round, circle, sphere, ball, cake, orange. Some of those were close enough to make progress, but they ran out of time while he was still trying reel her back and Andromeda and Ted won the point.

Remus sat back down, feeling miserable, but Tonks only patted his knee. He had never known her to be so uncompetitive. Ted stood up and, as far as Remus saw, got Andromeda to guess 'Golf Caddy' just by raising his eyebrow. They should have known better than to go up against a pair who had been married for twenty-five-odd years in a game like this. On top that, he felt like his brain had been dragged through mud, he could not shake off a lost night of sleep as easily as he had when he and the rest of the Marauders roamed the Forbidden Forest.

Tonks stood and barely even glanced at her slip of paper before beginning. She pointed to herself.

"You," Remus said. She nodded, so far so good.

She crossed her arms in front of her and swayed them back and forth. Andromeda gasped. Well, at least someone had it.

"Er…"

Tonks repeated the motion, staring at Remus pointedly, but he had no more insight than the first time and the moon still just…itched. She gave up on that and made a round motion in the air in front of her. Remus glanced at Andromeda and Ted, who were staring at Tonks with wet eyes, and decided that he did not like charades very much. He was going to need Legilimens to sort this out, if only he was any good at it.

After a few more seconds, Tonks stopped the arm waving and just pointed at her stomach.

Andromeda escaped her own restraints at that and jumped to her feet, exclaiming, "You're pregnant?!"

Tonks nodded and they got into a jumping, crying hug.

"Whose point is that?" Remus asked no one in particular. He looked up to find Ted standing in front of him, hand outstretched, and stood up to shake it.

"Congratulations, son," Ted said, clapping him on the shoulder.

Remus had to replay the last few minutes in his head. Something real had happened, not just the game. When he found it, a deep and heavy pit opened in his stomach.

"We took precautions," he said stupidly, looking at Tonks. She had her mother had stopped jumping and seemed to be sorting through some particulars.

"Well, sometimes it just happens," Ted replied. "I'd say it was meant to be, in that case."

"No, it can't…" All of a sudden Remus could not look at Tonks anymore, couldn't look at anyone. He had done a lot of damage, an irredeemable amount of damage. How much would Tonks suffer for this? How much would their… He could not even bring himself to complete the thought.

"Are you all right?" Ted asked, and Remus realized he was leaning on the older man. "Maybe you should sit down. Seems this came as quite a shock."

"No, I've…" Remus shook off Ted's grip. "I've got to…" Minimize the damage, how could he even do that? The damage was done. "Tell her I'm sorry."

Ted put together Remus's intentions quickly, but Remus did not give him the chance to act on the realization. He just made for the door and left.

Remus had no idea of where to go or what to do when he got there, so he just wandered for a time, a long time, through the dark streets of Bath, the moon still full enough to make his skin prickle. From time to time the thought he saw a shadow move nearby and actually caught himself half hoping that a Death Eater would come along and put him out of his misery.

He needed, desperately, someone to talk to. Or, even better, someone to not talk to, someone who would let him come back around to the topic in his own time and then help him sort out what to do, preferably over a large amount of Firewhiskey. Dumbledore had known how to listen patiently, and he probably knew off hand every possible way that lycanthropy could be transmitted, maybe even steps Remus and Tonks could take, but Dumbledore was dead. Sirius would completely fail to see the problem, but he was dead as well. McGonagall could usually be counted on for some Scottish wisdom, but she would also most likely deduce the issue in about half the time it would take Remus to draw breath. Really, the person he needed was James. He remembered how happy James and Lily had been when they found out about Harry. That was when Remus realized who he wanted to talk to, and he even had a fair guess at where to find him.

* * *

That conversation did not go anything like how Remus had hoped. Harry's words still rang in his head even after hours of hard walking: "The man who taught me to fight Dementors – a coward."

Remus could not remember ever being so angry, not even after the first time he was denied a job because he was a werewolf, not even after the second time. But he knew it was what had happened afterward that would haunt him the longest, blasting Harry against the wall like that, physical violence against someone who had been his student, his mentee, his fellow in arms, maybe one day even the person who would save them all. He could try to blame the moon for this, but that rang hollow, even to him. No matter the way he spent one night a month, only now did he really feel like a werewolf.

But it was getting past late now and Remus could feel the character of the streets beginning to change as those of honorable intent disappeared back into the safety of their homes and a rougher crowd that preferred the dark and chaos took their places. More than once he turned and glimpsed the flash of a spell in the open air of Muggle London and it reminded him that the Ministry had promised Azkaban to any werewolf caught without a tracker. He already felt like a Dementor or two might have been trailing him all evening and had to wonder if getting locked in a prison full of them might be enough to do him in. Rather than find out, Remus found a dark alley where he could Apparate to his destroyed house. Once there, he raised a few rudimentary wards around the rubble, constructed something of a lean-to, and curled up where his and Tonks's bedroom used to be, but slept poorly.

The next morning, Remus needed several long moments to remember where he was and how he got there. The singing birds and exposure to the woods and sky initially transported him back twenty years to the days he when had woken up in the Forbidden Forest after a night spent roaming the grounds with the Marauders, but reality found him soon enough. He sat up and realized that he had been hugging Tonks's pillow in his fitful sleep, unnoticed previously because he had worked in darkness the night before. What to do with it now that he had it? It was just a pillow, and it had lost half its feathers through a torn seam that had not been there the last night he and Tonks spent at home together. And yet, he could only set it aside through the most focused act of will, and only after repairing that torn seam.

Remus got creakily to his feet and surveyed his surroundings. His situation here was clearly unsustainable; he had no food, scant shelter, and sooner or later a Death Eater or someone from the Ministry would come and check whether one or both of the residents had returned. Beyond that, Tonks's presence seemed to have permeated every board and nail – a remarkable feat considering that she had only lived there a few months. But he had no money for an inn: whatever he'd had on hand when the Ministry fell was at the Tonks house – a fine place for it – and Gringotts was inaccessible, not that he had much there either. He would have to find some kind of job, but who on Earth would hire a werewolf on the run from the Ministry. Maybe he could find work in the Muggle world.

An owl appeared over the treetops, landed on the wreckage of the small sitting room, deposited a red envelope, and took flight again. A few moments later, a second owl copied its path. Remus stepped over to investigate, but stopped when he was close enough to read the names on the envelopes. Howlers both, addressed to Remus John Lupin and Nymphadora Tonks, and now that he had found the spot, he could see several more envelopes slowly working their way down into the rubble. The Howler addressed to him began to smoke and vibrate.

Might as well find out what they have to say, Remus decided, it could hardly make his situation worse. He waved his wand, putting up a charm that would contain the sound to his property. Remembering his earlier suspicion that the Ministry wouldn't take the risk of shapeshifters declining to present themselves and instead contain their tracking spells in the letters themselves, he braced himself, took aim, and slit open his envelope magically.

"REMUS JOHN LUPIN, WEREWOLF.

"YOU HAVE FAILED TO APPEAR BEFORE THE MINISTRY WITHIN THE ALLOTED FIVE DAYS FROM THE RECEIPT OF THE ORIGINAL SUMMONS. AS A RESULT, YOUR CITIZENSHIP HAS BEEN SUSPENDED. WHEN THE DEPARTMENT OF MAGICAL LAW ENFORCEMENT LOCATES YOU, THE MINIMUM SENTENCE IS SIXTY DAYS IN AZKABAN, INCREASING THE LONGER YOU AVOID REGISTRATION, AFTER WHICH TIME YOU WILL BE ALLOWED TO PLEAD YOUR CASE AND SUBMIT TO TRACKING.

"GOOD DAY,

"DOLORES JANE UMBRIDGE."

"I thought you wanted us tracked, not disappeared," Remus said to the letter as it burned itself away, a little louder than usual, rubbing his ears. Tonks's Howler was starting to smoke as well, so he opened it next.

The message was the same, and the second time through Remus started to wonder if Umbridge sounded a little gleeful when she said their citizenships had been suspended. What did that mean, precisely? They had already known they could not visit Gringotts or the Ministry, but would the Ministry actually seize their accounts? Did they have a way of preventing them from entering places like Diagon Alley, Hogsmeade, and Hogwarts? St. Mungo's?...

Somehow, Remus had managed not to think about Tonks's pregnancy so far that morning, but the full weight of it crashed back onto him in that instant. It would all be so much safer if she could go to St. Mungo's, especially if…point was, someone there must know how to make the Wolfsbane potion, should the child… All this warring within his own mind was growing tiresome.

Maybe they would still let Tonks take the tracker, and wave the time in Azkaban due to special circumstances, Remus thought as he burned the earlier letters unopened and buried the ashes. Except that it wouldn't have surprised Remus in the least if Umbridge proved herself to be heartless enough to send a pregnant woman to the Dementors. And Tonks would not agree easily, Remus knew that for certain. He would have to convince her, it might even take a fight, and he had already lost the moral high ground. He would have to go in with all the facts, from someone else who knew more about the tracking, and he could only think of one person who might. Remus Apparated to McGonagall's house.

After a few minutes of sporadic knocking with no response, Remus had to admit that maybe Minerva was not at home. The start of the school year was not so far off, maybe she was at Hogwarts. But then again, maybe she was at home and in trouble. There was no sign of a fight around the front door, but Remus could not leave without making sure; he sent a Patronus inside.

Less than a minute later, Minerva called through the door, "Remus! What's the matter!"

"What? Nothing?" Remus stammered. He had not meant his message to alarm her. "Erm, oven cleaner."

"Cure for verruca," Minerva replied, an annoyed note in her voice. She pulled open the door and demanded, "Do you have any idea what time it is?"

Remus took one look at Minerva in her dressing gown and realized that he did not. He had reckoned by the time since he woke up, which could have been earlier than usual since he had been sleeping outside, and by the arrival of the mail. Usually mail owls timed their appearances around breakfast, but perhaps it amused the Ministry to wake nonconformists up with Howlers.

"Six thirty in the morning, Remus!" Minerva supplied as she strode back down the hall. "Sleep is a luxury teachers do not get during the school year, as I'm sure you'll recall. If you have not prepared tea and toast by the time I return I will be even more cross with you."

Feeling like he had just cost Gryffindor a few points and not wanting to lose any more, Remus hurried to comply. It took a thorough search of the kitchen to find the kettle, a plate and mug, bread, and tea bags, and he barely got everything on the table by the time Minerva reappeared, looking much more like herself.

"Have you already eaten?" she asked, surveying the single place setting. His stomach gave a tremendous roar in answer. "Honestly, Remus."

He returned to the kitchen. At least he already knew where to look this time.

"What's got you so off balance this morning?" Minerva asked when Remus sat down across from her with a plate and mug for himself.

"I wanted to ask if…" but she had set piece of parchment down on the table as she spoke and the letterhead caught his eye. "News from Hogwarts?"

Minerva grimaced and slid the paper over to him.

"Dear Deputy Headmistress McGonagall,

"We are pleased to announce that Professor Severus Snape has been named Headmaster of Hogwarts, replacing Professor Albus Dumbledore, effective immediately. We are certain that you will congratulate Professor Snape on his new position and support him in his duties, as you did his predecessor.

"Additionally, we are delighted to share the news that Amycus Carrow will be taking the post of Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, and his sister, Alecto Carrow, will be the new Muggle Studies teacher. Both promise to bring new perspectives to their subjects.

"Finally, in keeping with the Ministry of Magic's reassessment of magical lineages, all Muggle-born students have been expelled. We are certain you will welcome the chance to focus your attentions on only the most promising of students.

"As usual, teachers are expected to report to Hogwarts on August 25th. The students will arrive on September 1st with classes commencing on September 2nd.

"Regards,

"The Board of Directors."

Suddenly, Remus did not feel so hungry anymore. He could hardly even say what part of that letter was the most troubling.

"They expelled the Muggle-borns?" he breathed at last.

"Maybe they're the lucky ones," Minerva replied. "The Carrows are Death Eaters."

Remus knew that already. "And Snape's Headmaster." He would have never thought that assassination could be an effective method of getting promoted at Hogwarts. "What are you going to do?"

Minerva had been stirring her tea absently since she sat down. As far as Remus had seen, she had yet to take a sip. "The same thing I always do. Teach my students Transfiguration. Be a voice for fairness and moderation. Stick it to the Carrows whenever I get the chance."

Remus smiled at her. "Anything I can do to help?"

"You can tell me what brought you here this morning, because I doubt it was this," she said, taking the letter back from him.

No use denying it. "Did you comply with the shapeshifter tracking?"

She finally took a swallow of tea. "I didn't have much choice. In a little over a week they'll know exactly where to find me anyway. It was that or give up my post at Hogwarts. I take it you didn't submit."

Remus had suspected as much. He answered her question with a shake of his head.

"I recommend you don't. Animagi are one thing, but werewolves? If I hadn't taught most of the people on that committee…"

"What did they do?"

"To start with, they just went through my original registration, but in fine detail," Minerva explained. "And they asked a lot of questions about why I became an Animagus, what I do in my transformed state, what I do in my human state. That was one odd thing, they didn't seem aware that I'm part of the Order. I'd thought Snape would have told everyone. Anyway, before they let me go they put their tracking spell on me, then made me transform and did it again. And I probably already had it, because of the letter."

Her face fell as she said this. Even beyond the tracking itself, being forced to transform sounded like something of a violation for an Animagus.

"Do you know what spell they used? Do you think you could defeat it if you needed to?" Remus asked.

"It was similar to the Trace, I know that," Minerva replied. "I'm sure I could break the spell, but it would be harder to circumvent it so that they don't realize they're not actually tracking me. Why do you want to know all this, Remus? Is it about Tonks?"

"She can't go to Azkaban," Remus confirmed.

"No one can," Minerva said. "We all saw what it did to Sirius." And, amazingly, she did not press the point further. "I'm sorry to say that the Ministry is probably particularly interested in tracking her, maybe even doing something worse. Not only can she trick any concealment detector as easily as you or I could put on a different set of robes, but metamorphmagi are so rare that they've barely even been studied. No one really understands how she can do what she does. In fact…" But there Minerva cut herself off.

Remus shook his head. Worse and worse. And what type of interest would the Ministry have in a being with half her genetic code? He felt sick.

"She sent me a Patronus, you know, last night," Minerva continued eventually, "asked if I'd seen you."

"Is she all right?"

"Why don't you ask her yourself?"

Because he couldn't.

"Walking out on your wife without a word is not an honorable thing to do," Minerva said. "Especially with the world as it is right now. Even less so when a child is involved."

Remus looked up at her sharply. Had Tonks told her or had she simply guessed? Not that it mattered.

"Odd, you don't look very happy about it."

"I…"

"You're not alone in this, you know. What's troubling you?"

"I've risked passing my condition on to an innocent ch-child!"

"What condition is that?" Minerva asked. "Kind-heartedness? Loyalty? Intelligence? Steadfastness?"

"You know what I meant!"

"I do, what I don't understand is how your actions are supposed to help this situation."

"She's better off without me."

"I am certain Tonks would disagree, if you cared enough to ask her and trust her judgment."

"I do care, that's why I'm-"

She cut him off. "And if the child is a werewolf, he or she will need you all the more."

"Please don't say that," Remus replied in a voice that was ready to break.

Minerva hesitated, recalibrated. "Very well. I can see that you need time to adjust to this situation. I am going to send a message to Tonks, telling her that I saw you and you are safe." She held up a hand, forestalling Remus when he started to protest. "I will not tell her where you are, but if she comes searching for you I will not conceal you. You may stay here, but I have no wish to enable your behavior, so I will give you three days to straighten yourself out. If you have not returned to your wife on your own after that time, I will turn you out on your ear. Are we agreed?"

"Yes." Three days with a roof and food was more than he could expect anywhere else.

"Very well. In that case, I could use a hand closing this place down for the school year."

Remus spent the next three days helping Minerva redouble the wards around her home, strengthened the cellar against water, the roof against snow, and the windows against wind. At the end of it, they enjoyed a fine dinner, during which Minerva peppered Remus with every argument for his return to Tonks that she could think of. She also managed to counter his silencing and muffling spells, Remus only managed to withstand it all by focusing on the taste of the wine.

True to her word, after they finished the washing up, Minerva shoved Remus outside, said, "You've surprised me," and slammed the door before he could think of a way to respond. With nothing else for it, he Disapparated to Diagon Alley, with a vague notion of begging to take a room at the Leaky Cauldron.

If only Remus could find a single person who would understand, but only another werewolf really knew what it meant to be a werewolf. He tried to imagine what Fenrir Greyback might say on the subject of procreation, then tried not to, then nearly vomited, then did. And his…he was responsible for a human life that would know no other existence. Things had been good once, or at least simple. How had it all gotten so messed up?

At least Harry and Minerva had clarified one thing: Remus needed to hear someone he respected say that he had done the right thing, that this was the only righteous option left to him. The fact that he had not been up front about the situation with either of them told him that he had not actually thought they could provide that, so who would? He paged mentally through the members of the Order, but stopped when he got to Mundungus Fletcher, who was at the bottom of the list anyway.

"I know, all right! I know!" he shouted suddenly at the universe, at the waning moon, startling away anyone nearby. He knew he would find no approval for this among members of the Order. It made his chest ache to wonder what a Death Eater might think of it, should he ever meet one in conversation.

"Know what, mate?" someone asked, slinging an arm over Remus's shoulders.

"Fair number of things, I'd bet," someone else said from Remus's other side.

He ducked away and reached for his wand, but it was only Fred and George. He must have wandered in front of their shop without realizing it. The injury to George's head seemed much improved, but Remus could barely bring himself to look at it, the memories it brought up of the night they had taken Harry from Privet Drive were simply too vivid to deal with on top of everything else. A centimeter, a degree in the wrong direction and George would have lost something he couldn't do without. He must have been the luckiest person on the face of the Earth that night.

Slowly, Remus realized that Fred and George were waiting for him to say something and he had to mentally replay what they had said to him to figure out what.

"Fair number of things," he eventually agreed, lamely.

"Um-hm," Fred replied. At least they were easier to tell apart, now. "Step into our office."

It was long past closing and their shop was deserted aside from the three of them. Remus looked around at the bright displays. They almost hurt his eyes.

"How's business?" Remus asked. It seemed polite.

"You'd be surprised," George said. "People seem to need a joke or two, what with the new regime and all."

Remus felt rather the same, he discovered. Something hanging on the wall nearby caught his eye and he picked it up. It was a tiny, infant sized, set of pajamas with a bold lightning bolt blazoned across the chest and stomach.

"When did you start selling baby clothes?"

"Oh, fairly recently," Fred replied. "Fancy them? We might have your size in the back."

"Oh, no." Remus reached to put the pajamas back, but the words escaped before he was half way there: "Tonks is pregnant."

Neither twin said anything for a moment, a somewhat novel experience.

"You see why this is a problem."

George shook his head. "I'm just trying to think of something to say that won't offend your delicate, British, stiff upper lip sensibilities. Everything that's come to mind so far would get my ear boxed if it ever got back to Mum."

Fred turned to face his brother. "George, you simply must learn to be ready for these sorts of revelations, our own brother got married barely two weeks ago!" He continued to Remus in a very loud stage whisper. "I'm afraid George's little accident has rather confirmed what we suspected all along: he had, in fact, been keeping the vast majority of his brain in his ear. It's quite a tragedy. Oh, don't worry, he can't hear me." In a normal voice, Fred concluded, "Allow me to demonstrate the proper response to this kind of news."

He waved his wand and a veritable blizzard of pink and blue confetti fell on Remus's head, followed by balloons. Then the fireworks started up. Although it had gotten rather hard to see, Remus thought he caught a glimpse of the pygmy puffs juggling themselves in their cages. This all took a while to die back down.

"And that's how you tell someone congratulations," Fred said. Then another downpour of confetti fell on Remus's shoulders. "Forgot about that one."

"Tonks already told you," Remus inferred, not feeling any more cheerful after this display. He would still be finding confetti in a year, he knew it. The pile at his feet reached to his knees.

"That she did," George said. "And in case you were wondering, she did not neglect to mention your little mid-life crisis."

"This isn't a mid-life crisis."

"Walkabout, then."

Remus wanted to protest, then he wanted to know what they thought, then he just wanted to know, "Does she hate me?"

"Well, she's mad, that's for sure," Fred said. "I'd never seen her hair that color before."

"Eyebrows, too."

"Fingernails, even."

"She should hate me."

"Leave her alone with her parents much longer and she might."

Remus unearthed his feet and started pacing.

"What's on your mind, anyhow?"

He turned back in time to see that it was George who asked.

"The child will be a werewolf."

"You know for sure?"

"…No."

"So what if it's not?" Fred was speaking now.

"I'll still be a werewolf."

"That's no different from before. I mean, I still hang around with this earless git."

Remus thought he understood what they were driving at.

"I spoke with Ron, by the way. He's doing all right. Harry and Hermione too. They wouldn't tell me about their plan, but it must be something to defeat Vol-"

"Let me stop you right there, old chap," Fred interrupted. He drew his wand and loosened his shoulders. George did the same. "You might want to prepare yourself. Everyone all set? Okay, carry on."

"What?"

"Keep going, just like you were."

"Er…-demort."

Fred and George glanced around but did not seem to find what they were expecting.

"Looks like you've got to say it all as one word," George decided. "Try it again from the beginning."

"What did you think would happen?" Remus asked.

"All the protective spells to collapse and some Death Eaters to come running," Fred said. "Happens every time someone mentions our new overlord's name."

"How did you find that out?" Remus demanded. "And why haven't you told anyone!"

"Experimentation," George replied. "We only figured it out a few hours ago, and we had to be sure, that's the scientific method."

Remus might not have agreed with their process, but he had to admit to its effectiveness. He and the Tonkses had spent days worrying that a single wrong move would get them attacked again, whereas Fred and George must have simply tried everything they could think of until they found the real cause.

"Plus, it's good fun," Fred continued. "They need to hire more staff. The grand poobah makes them come investigate every time and they keep getting more and more annoyed with us."

"Once we said it twice in a minute," George sniggered. "The second set of guys landed right on top of the first pair and they knocked each other out."

"You two are going to get yourselves killed," Remus said, but he meant it admiringly.

"Nah, they wouldn't dare," Fred shrugged. "Besides, if they're busy with us then maybe they'll be a little slower to come after someone who is unprepared."

"Well, look after yourselves," Remus said. "I'll start spreading the word."

"Good idea, you can start with Tonks."

Every muscle in Remus's body went tense for a moment. He turned back to the pair and said, "I see what you did there."

"I should hope so, it wasn't terribly subtle," Fred said.

"Go be a Gryffindor, mate," George added. "Teach your kid how to be one."

"It's not that simple."

"I'm pretty sure it is. People have been doing this for millions of years and you're smarter than most of them."

Remus turned to go, but caught sight of a display of potions near the door first.

"Speaking of being smarter than most people, how are you two at potions?"

"We dabble."

They would have to do more than that to make some of these elixirs. Remus was certain he had never come across the recipe for a potion to induce daydreams in any book, let alone specific ones.

"Would you be interested in trying your hands at the Wolfsbane potion?"

"We do like a challenge," Fred replied, rubbing his hands together.

* * *

Unable to convince Tom at the Leaky Cauldron that he needed a dishwasher, Remus spent the night back in the lean-to on the site of his former house. The next day he started visiting various members of the Order, spreading word of Fred and George's discovery about the consequences of saying Voldemort's name aloud. That all came to a stop, though, when he Apparated to the Burrow and spotted someone else at the door. She must have arrived only a few seconds before he did, and although Remus did not recognize her, exactly, he knew it was Tonks in disguise. Remus fled immediately, without even pausing to think about it, and felt ashamed.


	5. August 18th, 1997, 7:30 am

Author's Note: A bit of background may be in order here. This story is actually a bit of a follow up to one of my earlier stories, "World's Smallest Violin." In that one, Narcissa asked Andromeda to let Draco stay with her over the summer after _Order of the Phoenix_ , so Tonks and Draco have met because of that. Spoiler: it didn't end well. That's all you need to know. Unless you want to read the other story. Always welcome.

 **Chapter 5: August 18** **th** **, 1997, 7:30 am**

Andromeda pulled the weeds from her garden without mercy and tossed the carcasses into a growing pile near the fence. They had picked the wrong garden, and the wrong day. Unfortunately, in her vigor, some root vegetables occasionally fell victim to friendly fire, and those too damaged to replant went into a basket near her knees. It looked as though it would be baby vegetable stew for lunch today and, at this rate, dinner too.

At least she was doing something useful, though, something to provide for her family. Unlike that Lupin. It looked as though they had all badly misjudged him, and now poor Nymphadora had to face the consequences. The next weed put up an actual fight but Andromeda proved the victor. She would have to be more careful about using magic to help the vegetables along. Otherwise, that would not be the last plant that tried to bite her.

After a time the door creaked open and Ted came out to join her. He knelt among the rutabagas and hummed the Liberty Bell march to himself, sometimes under his breath, often less so. She left him to it, but Andromeda was at a loss to explain his current habit of dredging up old memories form his Muggle youth. It troubled her, particularly his way of bursting out with whatever new tidbit he managed to find. He had been threatening to remember to lyrics to Pinball Wizard for the past week and if he did so at the wrong moment, Andromeda would have to do some very quick thinking indeed.

"What do you reckon?" Ted asked after he had finished his tune for the second time.

"About what?"

"About Remus, mostly, and Tonks. But I'll settle for your thoughts about how to tackle that monster." He gestured to the largest weed at the center of the garden. It was the size of a small tree and growing what looked like a face.

"I'd rather tell you inside. I'm not sure it doesn't have ears…or telepathy."

"Very prudent. And the other thing?"

"Their timing isn't great, honestly. Who knows if Saint Mungo's will be accessible when we need it? I know hospitals are a fairly recent development, but I'm probably not the best person to help her. Maybe Molly should be here, she has more personal experience."

"Oh, I wasn't even thinking that far ahead," Ted said. He looked a little green. "Remus's reaction really surprised me."

"Me too."

"Do you think he'll come back? Because I thought he already would have."

"I don't know." But she was certain that if Lupin stayed away much longer Nymphadora would track him down herself. That probably would not work out very well for him. Deservedly so. Andromeda briefly entertained herself by concocting a few excuses to come along on such an expedition.

"Mum?"

She looked up, startled, wondering how long Nymphadora had been standing there. Hopefully not long.

"You have some visitors."

At first the statement simply would not compute, who on Earth would come and visit with the world in its current state? Let alone multiple people at the same time. And why would Nymphadora let them inside? Then a smaller form joined her in the doorway.

"Brittany!"

"When are you going to come and teach us, Mrs. Tonks?"

"Right now!" Andromeda exclaimed, standing and brushing the dirt from her robes. She had been missing this horribly since she woke up that morning, had thought her chance of teaching children disappeared during the coup and mourned its loss. Her lack of preparation hardly seemed any deterrent now.

She followed Brittany into the house and found two more students waiting at the dining room table. It was about half of the usual roster, but three more than Andromeda had ever dared expect. Phillip was the youngest at seven, next oldest was the nine year old Mark. If Andromeda remembered correctly, Brittany would turn eleven in a few days. She had missed the compulsory enrollment at Hogwarts by mere hours. Their parents were loitering in the living room but gathered themselves to leave when Andromeda appeared.

"How was your summer, everyone?" Andromeda asked, sitting down across from her students. Nymphadora thoughtfully appeared with a stack of parchment, quills, and ink, then disappeared to the sitting room.

"Good, but the Ministry is mean now," Phillip reported. "They said my mummy isn't really a witch."

"What do you think about that?"

"It makes her sad. But why isn't she a witch anymore? She can still do magic, I saw this morning."

Andromeda wondered briefly about the best way to handle this. At seven she had been only vaguely aware that anything like the Ministry of Magic even existed, though she had been only too familiar with prejudice against Muggle-borns. Still, if her many years of teaching pre-Hogwarts students had taught her anything, it was that children were smarter than adults tended to expect, and saw more.

"Could the Ministry be wrong?" she asked.

"How can it?" Brittany asked. "The Ministry knows everything."

"No it does not," Andromeda countered at once. "Listen to me now, because if you forget everything other thing I ever teach you, I want to you remember this." She met all of their eyes in turn. "No one knows everything, and no one is right all the time. Not you, not me, not the other teachers you will have, not the authors of the textbooks you will read, not the bosses you'll work for someday, not the people who write the _Daily Prophet_ , and not the Ministry, either as individuals or as a whole, especially not right now. Understood?"

Brittany and Phillip nodded. Mark asked, "What if you're wrong right now?"

"Just for that, it's math this morning."

Phillip and Brittany groaned but Mark yipped in delight and grabbed for the parchment and quills.

By the time their parents returned that afternoon, the small class had returned to the subject of the Ministry three more times, eventually necessitating a guest lecture from the local expert in the origins of magic and resident Muggle-born Ted Tonks.

Before they left, Andromeda pulled aside Phillip's mother, Marissa.

"Phillip mentioned you might be having some trouble with the Ministry," Andromeda said, keeping her voice neutral.

"Oh, no, not really, it's nothing."

Andromeda had expected as much.

"Of course, but if you do need anything, I hope you know you can call on me."

"My Mum can bluff her way out of a steel cage," Nymphadora reported from the arm chair.

"My daughter is also available if you find yourself in need of a somewhat blunter object."

"Sooner rather than later, if you can manage it," Nymphadora agreed.

Marissa seemed to understand. She thanked them both and led Phillip out the door.

"I thought you'd left," Andromeda said when they had gone, turning to Nymphadora.

"I was here."

"Standing sentinel?"

"Not sure I'd call it that," Nymphadora said. "Any Auror will tell you it doesn't really count as guard duty unless you're standing someplace rainy with too many Muggles around to use an umbrella charm. I had this nice cushy chair and everything."

"You could join us at the table tomorrow, if you like."

"You seem to know how to handle them."

Andromeda smirked. "That was nothing. There was a girl, Martha, you might remember her. She took classes here starting when she was five. Graduated at eleven like they all do then turned up again the next fall. She never got a Hogwarts letter. That was about ten years ago. She and the four other students who were here that day still keep in touch with each other, and with me."

"What does she do now?"

"Studying for a degree in physics at Oxford."

"Merlin."

Andromeda hesitated, then asked, "Any sign of Lupin?"

Nymphadora shook her head. "He'll come back eventually…right?"

Andromeda almost missed the last word. That sentence had not started its brief life as a question. "Of course he will."

"I've been trying to figure out the last time I encountered someone younger than Ginny Weasley before today. It was probably when I was a student."

"Don't worry so much."

"I'm going for a walk."

"Be careful."

"Don't worry so much."

That weed in the garden had definitely grown ears by the time Andromeda returned to it. In fact, the more she studied it the more she began to worry that it was watching her back. She fetched Ted from his study, then, trying to keep her mind as blank as possible, flicked her wand and neatly severed the plant at its base. It turned out to be lucky that she had summoned backup, because neither roots nor leaves went quietly.

"How much magic have you been using on these plants?" Ted asked once they had finally wrestled the weed into submission, cleaning his fogged and dirt spattered glasses on his robes.

"We might need enough food to get through the winter without outside help. This garden isn't big enough."

"So, a lot."

"Yes."

"Well, maybe cut it down a bit, or else we're going to have an uprising on our hands."

Andromeda looked around. It would take her the rest of the week to repair the damage caused by that weed and their struggles to remove it.

"Ted, did you bring in that basket of vegetables from this morning?"

"No, I thought you did."

"No one else was out here," Andromeda said. She pivoted to look at the mangled remains of the plant they had just destroyed.

"Did it eat them?" Ted asked, following the same train of thought.

Andromeda glanced around again.

"What happened to the basket itself?" She caught herself whispering.

"Did it eat that too?" Ted asked at the same volume.

"All right, less magic in the garden," Andromeda concluded. "Starting in five minutes."

She flicked her wand and set fire to the pile of weeds.

* * *

At the end of the week, after dismissing her students for the day, Andromeda put away the books, parchment, quills, and paint they had used and approached Nymphadora. She looked like she had dozed off, but snapped to attention immediately.

"I need to go to Diagon Alley," Andromeda said.

"I thought you'd never ask!" Nymphadora exclaimed.

"You'll need a-"

But she had already jumped to her feet and started modifying her face and hair in the mirror over the fireplace. Within minutes, Nymphadora appeared to have aged thirty years, with lines on her altered face and dark hair shot through with gray.

"How's this?" Nymphadora asked in a different voice, turning to face Andromeda. "I figured we should look the same age, like we're friends out shopping. My robes don't match though. Can I borrow some of yours?"

She didn't wait for an answer, just skipped up the stairs. Unable to help herself, Andromeda gave her own reflection an assessing look while she waited.

Nymphadora returned a few minutes later wearing a set of Andromeda's robes, which did fit better with her current face and hair, and said, "I told Dad we're going to Diagon Alley for an hour or two. He said to keep an eye out for any books he might like."

"He says that, but whenever I try and buy him a book it turns out to be one he already has," Andromeda grumbled. "And if we're supposed to be the same age then tone down the gray."

"Not everyone looks the same," Nymphadora replied, but she did as Andromeda requested.

"Gringotts first," Andromeda said as they started for the door.

"Oh! Then I should get my-" She stuttered to a stop. "Damn. Never mind. Are you ready?"

Andromeda nodded despite her jumping heart. Nymphadora had left many times since the coup, but always gone straight to other Order safe houses. This was the first time Andromeda had ventured out of the house since the coup and a small part of her expected them both to be arrested the moment they stepped off the property. But no one was visible on the street as they shut the door, nor when they got to the concealed corner around the side of the house that they used for Apparating, not even in the courtyard behind the Leaky Cauldron. That didn't stop Andromeda's hand from shaking incriminatingly when she raised her wand to open the entrance to Diagon Alley.

"Just act like it's a normal day," Nymphadora muttered to her as they started making their way down the street.

That was hard to do in practice, Andromeda decided when she tripped over a cobblestone. She tried to take her mind off it all by examining the shops as they passed by.

At first glance, Diagon Alley looked more or less as she remembered it, bright shops with dancing window displays, although perhaps lacking some of their traditional color and energy since the past few years of hardship had made clear the value of blending in. But the longer she looked the more she noticed the overflowing trash bins, the number of shops that looked like they had been abandoned with no notice, the stray animals clustered around the husk of the Magical Menagerie. Knockturn Alley seemed to have overflowed its banks, and as they passed by Andromeda and Nymphadora were more or less accosted by a wizard determined to sell them black market unicorn hooves. He only left them alone after Nymphadora threatened to hex him.

They met another problem at Gringotts when Nymphadora tried to follow Andromeda and the Goblin escort to her vault.

"New policy," the Goblin said, holding up a long-fingered hand at her. "Account holders may only visit their own vaults. If you wish to visit your vault Griphook can help you."

"It's all right," Andromeda said to the Goblin before Nymphadora could respond. "I'd prefer if she came along."

"New policy, no exceptions," the Goblin said simply, with much less patience than before.

"I'll meet you back here, then," Nymphadora said, clearly not liking this turn of events.

Andromeda didn't like it either, but she followed the Goblin back towards the vaults anyway. Her and Ted's vault was neither high security nor ancient, so it didn't take long to reach on the cart. The Goblin opened it with her key then stepped aside, revealing a tidy pile of Galleons, Sickles, and Knuts that Andromeda surveyed with relief.

She hesitated, though, before gathering any of it into her bag, and glanced back at her Goblin escort, wondering if he would report her if she withdrew too much gold. He was using a fingernail to pick something out of his teeth. Andromeda stuffed as many coins into her bag as she could fit and managed about half of them.

Back in the entry hall, Andromeda started toward the booth where she could exchange wizarding money for Muggle, but Nymphadora caught her arm before she was halfway there and pulled her discretely off course.

"We're going to want some of this in pounds," Andromeda whispered to her.

"I know," Nymphadora agreed grimly, leading the way to the door instead. "But that's Runcorn over by the booth. He intimidated the last people who tried, and insisted on taking their names and addresses. The Goblins clearly didn't like it, but they couldn't do anything."

"Oh." Andromeda had to think carefully about how to ask the obvious follow up question. "You weren't able to…" She felt all the muscles in Nymphadora's arm go stiff against hers.

"Too many people, didn't know if he had backup, knew I didn't," she grumbled. "What's next on your list? Because I don't think I could stand to watch what happens if someone comes in and tries to exchange Muggle money for wizarding."

"Bulb and Pod's for some more vegetable seeds," Andromeda replied as they reached the door. The second part took some courage to admit, "And those weeds seem to have gained a beachhe- What?" Nymphadora had more or less yanked her off her feet in her haste to change direction.

"Narcissa is over by Madam Malkin's and…yep, there's Draco," she explained, taking them on an arc that gave them a wide radius around the pair. "I don't see Lucius, but…don't look! Do you want them to spot you?"

"You're looking!"

"Discretely!"

Andromeda glanced at Nymphadora and nearly jumped away in shock when she realized that her daughter had moved one of her eyes to the side of her head, where it could look out through her hair.

"That's horrifying."

"Got the idea from Mad-Eye," Nymphadora explained. "Makes walking tricky, though. I don't think they spotted us," she added, putting her eye back where it was supposed to be and rubbing it vigorously. "Aren't I still banned from Bulb and Pod's?"

"How will they know it's you?" Andromeda replied. "Unless you knock the Tentaculas into the Mimbletonias again. Did I tell you that Pod had promised to name the new species after you if those two cross-bred?"

"I almost had a mutant plant named after me?"

"Not really, the Tentaculas ate the Mimbletonias, which poisoned them."

"Oh."

Nymphadora pulled open the door to the shop and they stepped into the warm, earthy air. She noticeably tried to keep a wide radius to the plants, a difficult task since they covered nearly every surface.

"Andromeda!" Wendy Bulb exclaimed, looking up from her place at the register. "It's been ages. How are you?"

"I'm…" She had to think it over. "…fine." Especially compared to how poorly she could be. "And you?"

"Things have been so slow since Thicknesse became Minister," Wendy replied with a conversational shrug. "And not just here, all over the Alley. I know they said all that business about You-Know-Who returning was a hoax, but it still feels like something's wrong."

"I know what you mean," Andromeda replied. "What happened at the Magical Menagerie?"

"I don't know the whole story," Wendy said, "but no one's seen the Martins in days. I think one of the bigger animals got hungry and found a way to break out, and that's how the rest escaped."

"Have you had any trouble?"

"Not really, but at this rate it sometimes seems like it will be just us, Gringotts, and the Weasleys left before too long. You know, we had three surprise inspections here last week. They said they were looking for illegally imported plants, but I'm not…Please be careful around the helipods, ma'am. They're quite delicate."

Andromeda turned and saw Nymphadora freeze in mid-swat, a small swarm of flying seeds dancing around her head. Fortunately, when she ducked away and moved to a different part of the store they did not follow her.

"Thank you," Wendy said to her before turning back to Andromeda. "But that's enough about me. What brings you by?"

They discussed Andromeda's battles against the weeds in her garden briefly and settled on the strongest herbicide Wendy had on hand, but the shopkeeper grew suspicious when talk turned to vegetable plants and seeds.

"You know if you plant anything now it might freeze before they get ripe, right?" she pointed out.

Andromeda knew. "We only recently decided to try and live off the garden more."

"But up until now you've only been augmenting what you can buy, right? You really should wait until spring so you can start properly. The seeds will keep, but plants…"

Andromeda glanced at Nymphadora, who nodded and shrugged, inviting Andromeda to decide for herself how much to tell Wendy.

"What seeds do you recommend?"

"Well if you insist on planting them now, sprouts would make it, so would radishes, cabbage, lettuce…"

Nymphadora made a dismayed sort of 'chh' sound.

"….if it's corn or potatoes you're after, you'll have to wait until April."

Andromeda made her decision. "How were things the last time you went to the market?" she asked the shopkeeper.

"Not quite up to standard," Wendy admitted. "Dedalus said they were having trouble getting stock in."

"I think that situation will keep getting worse," Andromeda replied, "until You-Know-Who is gone for good."

"What do you mean?" Wendy asked in a fragile voice. "I thought he already was."

Andromeda just shook her head.

"How do you know?" But then Wendy gathered herself together and said, "Have you ever considered building a greenhouse? It could buy you some more growing days."

They ended up departing Bulb and Pod's with many more supplies than Andromeda had expected, temporarily lightened, shrunk, and stored in Nymphadora's pockets. At least Wendy gave them a deep discount on the greenhouse supplies, in thanks for the warning about Voldemort. Nymphadora became distracted almost the moment they stepped outside, and, not wanting to see her eye trick again, Andromeda took her arm and led the way to the market.

Inside, it was more or less as Wendy had described: the displays a little sparse but not enough to alarm, the prices higher, but only sufficient to annoy. The real giveaway was in the behavior of the staff: they skirted customers and lightened shelves alike, as though they worried that one or the other would stride up and demand an explanation.

"Nymphadora, we need as much flour as you can…what am I saying, flour is heavy. I'll get that, you get produce…and vitamins! Find vitamins. After I finish with the flour I'll get milk and meat, you can find me there…"

"You're being followed," Nymphadora interrupted her ramblings.

"What!"

"Two men are waiting outside, I don't recognize them."

"How do you know?" Andromeda demanded, trying to turn and look but Nymphadora caught her arm and forced her to stay still. "Should we find a back door and leave?"

"This is my job, I know how to spot a tail. And if we disappear they'll know you're up to something. Just act normal." She led the way to the produce department and surveyed the worn vegetables with a wrinkled nose.

"But I'm not up to anything!" Andromeda protested as she sorted through the potatoes. She glanced up and didn't spot anyone suspicious through the window. "Are you sure…"

Nymphadora very carefully set down the tomato she had been inspecting and hissed, "Do you trust me?"

She nodded.

"You know what really happened during the coup and you're harboring thr…tw…you're harboring fugitives."

Andromeda's heart sank as she watched Nymphadora's altered form wilt enough to match the nearby heads of lettuce. More of the gray disappeared from her hair.

"All right, I'm a dangerous miscreant," Andromeda replied, trying to put on a brave face. "How do we…"

"Finish up quick," Nymphadora instructed, coming back to herself.

"Wait, isn't Dedalus…"

"That's a last resort, he should keep his cover. We need to find Narcissa."

That stopped Andromeda in her tracks.

"You want to talk to Narcissa? _And Draco?_ "

"No, but she's our way out of this. Hurry up."

"Vitamins!" she instructed.

"For Merlin's…"

Andromeda missed the rest, but she could hazard a guess. They met back up at the cash register a few minutes later, paid more than expected, and shrunk and lightened their purchases to fit in Andromeda's pockets.

"What's your plan?" Andromeda asked as they approached the door.

"You just need to talk to Narcissa. Make it seem like you're friendly with her."

"Have you ever actually met Narcissa?"

"This is not the time for an introduction!"

"I know it's not. She's not a friendly person, that's what I meant. And what if we can't find them?"

"Then we'll disappear in Fred and George's shop. Are you ready?"

"No."

"Close enough." Nymphadora pushed the door open and pulled Andromeda out onto the street with her. They strolled back down Diagon Alley toward the Leaky Cauldron, Nymphadora controlling the pace. Andromeda never saw whoever was supposed to be following them, but she did find Narcissa and Draco first, nibbling at ice creams in front of Fortescue's.

"Oh, hell," Andromeda whispered to herself, giving Nymphadora a nudge.

"Well spotted, get to work," she replied.

"Be nice to Draco," Andromeda said. Her daughter was already glaring at the young man from three shops away.

"No promises."

"Civil, then."

She didn't give Nymphadora the chance not to promise to do that either, just led the way toward the pair, playacting that she only noticed them when they were a few paces away.

"Narcissa!" Andromeda called, raising an arm and making her way around the tables toward her sister. "Draco! Lovely to see you!" In fact, he did not look well.

"Dromeda?" Narcissa replied, looking up in surprise, but she recovered quickly and half rose to give Andromeda a peck on the cheek. Andromeda tried not to flinch away, and not only from the kiss. Bellatrix had invented that nickname. "Who's your friend?" Narcissa continued.

"This is Linda Prewett," Andromeda improvised quickly. Fortunately, Nymphadora managed to work her face into a friendly expression when she stepped forward to shake hands. "Linda, this is my sister, Narcissa Malfoy, and my nephew, Draco."

"Lucius Malfoy's family, of course," Nymphadora replied. "I've heard about you." Her tone was friendly, but Andromeda realized that with a slight change in inflection the words could become menacing.

"Charmed," Narcissa said, and Andromeda suddenly wondered whether she had ever actually met the real Linda, because in truth Nymphadora did not look a thing like her, but she had needed the name of a pureblood and her student's mother was the first to come to mind.

Unfortunately, that was about as far as Andromeda's plan went, but Nymphadora cleared her throat, which probably meant they had to keep talking for a while longer. At least Narcissa and Draco made no move that looked like a call for aid, but Andromeda could feel Nymphadora's scornful glare even without looking. If they weren't careful, someone was going to find themselves under citizen's arrest, if it didn't come to fisticuffs first.

"How…how are you Draco?" Andromeda ventured at last. In the silence, she noticed that Narcissa and Draco's ice creams had gone soupy, like they had been lingering over them for some time.

He only glared at her. Perhaps she deserved it.

"He's well," Narcissa replied for him. "We're just buying some last things before he leaves for Hogwarts."

Somehow Narcissa always found a way to look stately, even when on a simple shopping trip. Even when wearing pajamas, Andromeda recalled from her youth. She felt like a bit of an unwashed heathen by comparison. It occurred to her to wonder if she had any paint in her hair. One of her little school's projects had gotten out of hand.

"This is your seventh year?" Andromeda asked, returning to Draco.

He seemed to find the question innocuous enough to answer it with a nod.

Deciding that she was not likely to get much more out of Draco, and lacking much interest in talking to her sister, Andromeda nearly started the farewells, but Narcissa spoke first "And how is Nymphadora? I heard she was recently married."

"Oh, yes, that's true," Andromeda said, forcing herself not to glance back toward her daughter. "She's very well."

"Married to a werewolf?"

Draco snorted. Nymphadora growled.

"He's an honorable man," Andromeda countered before she really thought about what she was saying. That certainly was an interesting assessment, considering that he had not been seen or heard from since learning about Nymphadora's pregnancy, over a week ago. Still, she had called him an honorable man, not a good one, and she was willing to take a stand against anyone who thought that knowing one thing about a person meant that they knew everything. She decided to double down. "I've seen that Mr. Lupin's struggles against adversity for his own sake only make him more willing and able to defend and help those who need it."

It had been true, though that was more Nymphadora's assessment than her own. Andromeda sincerely hoped that it would start being true again soon.

"But don't you worry?" Narcissa said. "What if they breed?"

"That doesn't worry me," Andromeda said tightly, conscious of Nymphadora standing next to her. "If you'll excuse me, it was lovely seeing you."

She dodged Narcissa's farewell peck on the cheek, grabbed Nymphadora's limp arm and strode off, not even bothering to find out if they were still being followed.


	6. Return

**Chapter 6: Return**

Usually after releasing her class back to their parents for the day, Andromeda would return directly to her garden. It was finally free of weeds and, after a weekend of dedicated construction, partially covered by a half constructed greenhouse. That was supposedly a good thing, although Tonks was not looking forward to those radishes. She would have expected Andromeda to get right back to work, so it was with a bit of surprise that Tonks cracked an eye open and found her mother standing in front of her for the second school day running.

"Do you need to go to Diagon Alley again?" Tonks asked.

"No," Andromeda replied, sitting down on the edge of the sofa. "We need to talk."

"About what?"

"About Remus."

"What about him?" Tonks asked, sitting up a little straighter. Her mother was not as subtle as she thought. Tonks knew she had taken to calling Remus by his surname when she was only talking to Ted.

"You still haven't heard from him?"

It hurt, but Tonks shook her head. There had been no word about him since that Patronus from McGonagall days earlier.

"Do you have any thoughts about where he might have gone?" Andromeda persisted. "Back to his pack, maybe?"

"I'm his pack, so no," Tonks replied, bristling. Ted emerged from his study, paused at the foot of the stairs long enough to deduce what they were talking about, and quickly disappeared into the kitchen. "I've got some other ideas," Tonks finished.

In fact, she had thought of little else. She would start at the site of their old house and look for signs of habitation, but in all likelihood Remus would not be able to stay there long without supplies. He would probably have to ask other members of the Order for shelter, and the list of people who would take him in without telling Tonks was not long. McGonagall might be her best lead, but sometimes Tonks toyed with the notion of going to Molly as well to see if any word of Remus had filtered back to her.

"I see," Andromeda said. "About the baby, then…"

"It's not a werewolf." The speed at which Tonks jumped in betrayed her. In fact, she had no idea, and her mother would know that.

"That's not…"

"I'm sure that's what has Remus worried enough to stay away," Tonks clarified, her voice under better control.

Andromeda nodded, waited to make sure Tonks was done speaking, then said, "I want you to know that your father and I are here for you. You can do this without Remus if you have to."

Tonks found herself on her feet with no memory of deciding to stand up. "I won't! He'll come back! This just wasn't how we planned…he needs time to get used to it." All her energy seemed to leave her at once and suddenly it took all she had just to keep her feet.

"I just…"

"I believe what your mother is trying to ask is just how much longer you're going to wait around here before you go out looking for him," Ted interjected from the kitchen.

Andromeda nodded.

"Oh…Well, I wanted to give him the chance to come to his senses on his own," Tonks said.

"He's had long enough, don't you think?"

"I do."

* * *

"Who's there?" Molly asked through the door, her voice tight.

"It's Tonks."

"Wonderful! Password?"

"Yorkshire pudding."

"That was a memorable day."

"Yes, well, we got the fire out eventually. Password?"

"Cold salad."

"Can we pick different passwords?" Tonks asked as Molly pulled the door open. "I _have_ successfully- Oh! It's me! It's me! Sorry, different face, I forgot. Just give me a- Tada! Sorry about that."

"Get in here you," Molly grumbled, moving aside to let Tonks in and fumbling her wand back into her pocket with shaking hands. "You're just lucky Fred and George have taught me to be prepared for surprises."

"Let me get you some tea," Tonks said, moving to the kitchen. "No one else here?"

"No," Molly confirmed. "Arthur's at work and Ginny's in Diagon Alley with Fred and George getting her supplies for Hogwarts. Thank you, none for you?" she added as Tonks passed her a cup of tea. Tonks waved off the suggestion.

"I'm so worried about sending her back to school this year," Molly said, wrapping her hands around the cup but not drinking it. "We had such a row about it last night. I said we could tell everyone she caught Ron's spattergoit, but she actually insisted on going back and Arthur took her side. In the end I had to give up, or else I'm sure we would have spent the rest of her time here fighting."

"Ginny knows how to take care of herself. Plus, I'm sure Fred and George will find her plenty of things she can use for defense," Tonks said. Molly managed a weak half-smile at that. "And there will be younger and weaker students who need someone like her to look after them."

"But that's what I'm afraid of!" Molly said. "Being a pureblood won't protect her if she's a nuisance to the people in charge."

"If I were Ginny, I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I was sitting safe at home while…"

Tonks trailed off. Her thoughts had strayed to the cluster of cells in her belly, or was it actually recognizable as something more than just cells by now? She had no idea, but either way Molly's point of view suddenly seemed much more understandable. It was hard work to push that thought aside again, but Molly needed the counterpoint to her own argument right now.

"I was seven when the last war ended, too young to really understand what was happening, but there's something I've noticed since then: people define part of themselves by what type of stand they took. The ones who stayed out of it, they're the ones with regrets, even more than the ones on the losing side. And this time around, I don't think there's going to be much of an option to stay out of it."

"You may be right," Molly said, "but I still don't like it."

"That's fair."

"Oh! I almost forgot!" Molly exclaimed. "You said your wards fell for no reason."

"Yeah, we've been walking on pixie shells ever since."

"Fred and George figured it out. It happens when someone says You-Know-Who's name."

"When you say V-" That had almost been very stupid. "Er, diabolical."

"I don't know exactly how they're doing it, but that's the cause," Molly explained. "Just be careful, I know you're one of the people who don't usually worry about saying the name."

"Thanks, Molly."

"All right, enough about me. You came here for a reason."

"It's Remus again." Tonks began to regret shunning that tea.

"Up to his old tricks? I thought you'd sorted that out."

"We had, but…Have you seen him? Or heard anything?"

"Oh, no!" Molly gripped Tonks's wrist. Her hand was very warm from the tea cup. "How long has he been missing?"

"I'm not sure he's actually missing, he might be staying away on purpose, but it's been almost two weeks now."

"Two weeks! Why would he do that?"

"You know Remus. He probably thinks he's being noble and self-sacrificing when he's actually being an idiot."

"That sounds like a few people I could name. He didn't say where he was going?"

"He didn't even say he was going. Just left in the middle of charades."

"Yes?"

"I might have used the game to spring some information on him and my parents."

"What type of information?" Molly looked as though she already had a guess.

"I'm pregnant."

Molly squealed and raced around the table to pull Tonks into a tight hug. "Why didn't you say so! What are we talking about wars for when you've got such good news! How are you feeling?"

"Little short on air at the moment." Molly released her and smoothed down the sleeves of her coat. "All right in general, so far."

"That's lucky. Do you know how far along you are?"

Tonks shook her head. "I haven't exactly been able to get to Saint Mungo's."

"I suppose not, Arthur says the new regime has it under constant surveillance, and with the shapeshifter monitoring… Well, I'm no substitute for a Healer, but I do have some experience. If you need anything…In fact, stay right there."

Molly trotted to the foot of the stairs and waved her wand. A moment later she levitated a box over to the table.

"This has most of Ron and Ginny's baby clothes in it," she explained, opening the box and pulling out a few examples. "It's yours if you want it."

"Thanks Molly. And if you happen to hear anything about Remus…"

"That idiot! Don't worry, if I hear so much as a whisper about him, I will track him down myself and drag him back by his ear."

"That I would dearly like to see."

* * *

Tonks left the box of clothes near the door and sought out her parents as soon as she returned from the Burrow. Ordinarily she would have just shouted for them, but everyone was just wound too tight for those sorts of expedients these days. They were in the garden again, but the tides in their war against the weeds had finally turned in their favor.

"Hey, Fred and George worked it out," she said. "Don't say You-Know-Who."

"They worked what out?" Andromeda asked at the same time as Ted said, "Don't say what?"

"That's the reason the wards fell that day, someone must have said You-Know-Who."

"But you just said You-Know-Who and nothing happened."

"Don't say You-Know-Who's real name, I mean. Actually, that's Tom Riddle, you can say that if you want. But don't say his chosen name."

Tonks had to take a moment to make sure she had said that right.

"What's on second," Ted interjected into the gap.

"What?"

"Exactly!"

"You're telling us not to say V-"

"DON'T SAY IT!"

"What!?"

"You know what!"

"No I don't."

"His name!"

"Who?"

"Who's on first."

"What's first?"

"No, What's on second."

"Dad, I don't know what you're talking about, but it's not helping."

"Nymphadora, I am so confused by what you're saying. Can you please start from the beginning?"

Tonks took a breath. This had definitely gotten away from her. It had seemed clear enough when Molly explained it. Then again, she hadn't had someone practicing his standup routine nearby.

"If anyone says You-Know-Who's chosen name, the one that starts with a 'V' and ends with a 'T', it will cause the wards to collapse and Death Eaters to come check on us. I don't know what that type of spell is called, but that's what it does. So watch yourself."

"Why didn't you just say so?" Andromeda asked.

But Ted looked stricken.

"It's called a Taboo," he said. "I'm so sorry, I'm the one who broke it."

* * *

Later that night, Tonks sat on her bed, trying to read one of her rescued comic books but mostly just staring at the page and wishing that the space next to her didn't feel so big and empty, same as she did most nights.

She heard a door open and close downstairs and wondered who had gone outside. But then there were footsteps ascending the stairs, had someone left and come back? Were the sounds unconnected? Were they under attack? Tonks set the comic aside, drew her wand, and got cautiously to her feet.

A moment later someone knocked on her bedroom door. It swung open and there stood Remus. Tonks swayed and dropped back onto her bed, and Remus rushed forward, fell to his knees at her feet, took her calves in his hands, and buried his face in her knees.

"I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry…"

He mumbled and sobbed and shouted and said and chanted it over and over again. Tonks twisted her fingers into the hair at the base of his skull and let him. They stayed that way for many minutes, until the clockwork propelling his mantra finally began to wind down.

"Are you all right?" Tonks asked into the silence when Remus finally paused long enough to take three breaths together.

"I'm so sorry."

"Are you injured?"

"I'm so sorry."

Tonks released his hair and leaned forward to kiss the back of his head. Contrary to her expectations, Remus started visibly shaking and gripped her legs even harder than before. Teardrops soaked her pajamas.

"Can't you look at me?"

Remus made a wracking, coughing, throat clearing noise and finally lifted his head. Misery filled his eyes.

"I'm so sorry."

"That's not what I asked."

Remus hesitated. He had either forgotten her question or had not been listening in the first place.

"Are you injured?"

"No?"

"Where did you go?"

"Just wandered mostly. Talked to some people. I…I'm so sorry."

"What did you do?"

"I tried to join Harry's quest. I tried to disappear. He wouldn't let me. He said some things I needed to hear, set me straight."

"He does that, doesn't he."

"I should apologize to him."

"I should thank him."

"I'm so sorry."

"Enough of that," Tonks said, using her thumbs to smooth the worried furrows from his forehead. "Are you back?"

"Yes. If you'll have me."

"Of course I will, come up here." Tonks patted the bed next to her. When Remus was seated, she took one of his hands and placed it on her still flat stomach. Having it there made her feel warm all over.

"I never really thought…Can you ever forgive me?"

"Already done," Tonks replied. "My parents might take some more work, though."

"Mmph." Remus dropped his head onto her shoulder.

"Sorry to ruin the moment. Would you like some backup?"

"Can't hurt," Remus said, straightening up and taking his hand back with one last tentative pat. "Let me do the talking, though."

"I suggest you start with my Dad."

"My thoughts exactly," Remus agreed. "When your Mum let me inside I thought she actually had daggers for eyes for a second."

"Merlin, last time I saw that look I was grounded for a year."

"That might be getting off easy in my case."

"Well, at least you came back of your own volition. Earlier today Molly vowed to track you down herself and drag you back by your ear."

"Really dodged a curse there, didn't I."

"I would have bought tickets, so you know."

"That reminds me!" Remus exclaimed. "Don't say You-Know-Who."

"Molly already told me," Tonks replied. "Don't explain it that way to my Dad. That's exactly what I said to him and it sent him into some sort of Muggle burlesque routine, I couldn't make heads or tales of it. Are you done stalling yet?"

"I could do a bit more."

"Come on, you," Tonks said, getting to her feet and pulling Remus with her.

Ted had been in his study since dinner, reportedly researching Taboos, but after a few hours it was hard to say what other Krump holes he might have found. He looked up when they entered and exclaimed, "Remus!"

"Mr. Tonks," Remus replied.

"It's Mr. Tonks now, is it? You must think you're in trouble."

"Aren't I?"

"Oh, most definitely. I'll admit, though, I don't exactly know how to handle this. You two seemed to have patched things up?"

Tonks met her father's eyes and nodded, keeping her promise to let Remus do the talking.

"If she'll have me," Remus confirmed. Tonks nodded again.

"This was a surprise?"

"It was, but that's no excuse."

First test passed. Ted continued to the next one.

"Then what is your excuse?"

"I have none," Remus said. "I was a scared fool. I panicked."

Ted waited. Tonks squeezed Remus's hand.

"I was afraid my lycanthropy would be passed on genetically, that even my presence would bring hardship and shame to the people I love. I still am afraid of that."

"Then what's changed?"

"I can't run from my responsibilities and live with myself. Tonks deserves better than that."

"Okay, then," Ted said.

"That's it?"

"Don't get me wrong, you're still on probation. Pull another stunt like that and I'll hunt you down myself."

"I understand. You won't have to."

"Good." Ted stood to shake Remus's hand. "This is a good thing. Be happy about it."

"I'll try."

"Don't try, do. There is no…"

He broke off, an odd look on his face.

"When you think of it," Remus invited.

"Oh!" Tonks exclaimed. She actually recognized that one. "That's from-"

"No, no, don't tell me. It'll come to me," Ted cut her off. To Remus he said, "So much for the easy part, eh?"

"What should I expect?"

"Have you ever come across a raging bull?"

"No?"

"Well, fighting one of those might make a good warm up."

Andromeda was cleaning the already spotless mantle, vigorously, without magic, when Tonks and Remus came downstairs. Tonks knew this was a bad sign. Andromeda turned to face them as they reached the bottom of the stairs.

"Mr. Lupin," she greeted in a tight voice.

"Mrs. Tonks."

"Mr. Lupin, you are going to explain me to exactly why you thought your actions were well considered and necessary. I am going to question you until I am satisfied that you have told me everything. When that is finished, I am going to explain to you exactly why you were wrong, probably multiple times, and loudly."

"Star Wars! Yoda!" Ted shouted unexpectedly from upstairs. "By Merlin, I need to have my head examined!"

It took Andromeda a moment to get back on track.

"After that, we will discuss what you can do to prove that we are in agreement and that you will not undertake any further unexpected sojourns. I expect all of this will take several hours, so before we get started, would you like some coffee? Not you, Nymphadora, dear. In fact, you should go get some sleep."

"I think I'd probably better stay," Tonks replied.

"As you will. Shall we?"

In actuality, the discussion lasted straight through to morning. Andromeda seemed aware of exactly what she wanted to know and went for it as surely as if she had cast a summoning spell on the framework of Remus's mind. In an amazingly short amount of time, Tonks learned more than she had ever expected about her husband's code of honor, how the Marauders and the first war had shaped it, about the slippery pitfalls it contained, and just how much being a werewolf had damaged and rebuilt the core of him. But in the small hours, when Remus and Andromeda seemed to be coming to understand each other's point of view, Tonks began to feel that she could no longer keep her eyes open, and before long she lost that fight.

When she woke up again, Tonks found herself in Remus's arms, being carried up the stairs.

"I can walk," she yawned.

"I know you can," he replied. "But you don't have to right now."

"Okay." It was comfortable, anyway. "Are you and my Mum finished?"

"Nearly, I think. I'll tell you about it in the morning."

"Okay," Tonks said, starting to doze off again. Remus set her down on the bed and tucked her in, kissed her forehead and touched her stomach. When she woke up properly the next morning she found that somewhere along the way he had also tucked a set of tiny, infant sized pajamas into her arms. They had a lightning bolt emblazoned across the chest and stomach.


	7. A man is held to be a criminal

Author's Note: The chapter title comes from _The Man in the Iron Mask_ by Alexandre Dumas. Thanks to everyone who's been reading so far.

 **Chapter 7: A man is held to be criminal, sometimes, by the great ones of the earth, not because he has committed a crime himself but because he knows of one which has been committed**

Ted had known all along that Tonks and Remus would find a way back to each other. He had also told himself that he had not really been worried that Andromeda and Remus would find a way to patch things up, except that he had, he really had. So it truly made him glad to observe over the next several days that they seemed to not be just on good terms, but spectacular ones, anticipating each other's needs, joking like they shared a mind. Andromeda even let Remus teach a few lessons to her class, and he regaled them all with tales about his days at Hogwarts.

Eventually, Ted just had to ask Andromeda what the two of them had talked about the night Remus returned, how he had convinced her that he would not run off again. The answer very much surprised him.

"Oh, he still might."

"Come again?"

"He might panic again and take a few days to himself," Andromeda said.

"He worked pretty hard to convince me of the opposite," Ted said. "I threatened him with bodily harm if he failed to live up to that promise. And he can definitely take me in a duel!"

"He thinks he's dangerous and the only way to protect those around him is to isolate himself," Andromeda explained. "One night a month that is literally true. He doesn't think he will run again, and he doesn't want to, but one day he might get stuck in his own head and do it anyway. But if he does, it will be for love, and he will regain his senses and come back."

Ted hesitated and raised an eyebrow at her. "You didn't use Legilimens on him, did you?"

"Of course not, I don't even know how."

"Then you got all that just by talking to him?"

"That's the point of talking, isn't it?" Andromeda replied. "You're looking at me like you're suddenly worried about what I know about you."

"Stay out of my head," Ted said, trying to emphasize the humor to hide a real note of unease. "Then again, you are still married to me, it can't be all bad…"

"Maybe you should proceed under the assumption that I can read your mind," Andromeda suggested and gave him a kiss. "Class starts soon, I need to get ready."

"Is it all bad?"

She didn't answer.

After letting the students inside, Ted typically spent the school day deep in his own studies, but when he was half way up the stairs he spotted Marissa, one of the parents, lingering in the living room. She looked troubled, no, worse than troubled. She paced back and forth between the sofa and the door, sometimes looking like she was planning to go but then turning back, tapping the edge of a letter against her palm.

"Marissa, is everything all right?" Ted asked, coming back down to the ground floor.

"Oh, hello. Yes, er…that is…no. You see, I got this letter today."

She unfolded it and held it out for Ted to read. It was a summons to a hearing before the Muggle-born Registration Commission the following morning. Ted briefly wondered why he had not received such a letter himself, then remembered. Andromeda had told that Ministry census taker that he had moved out. For the moment they did not know where to find him.

"I suspect it would not be in your best interest to attend this hearing," Ted inferred.

"But if I don't they'll arrest me anyways, look!" She pointed out the last paragraph, which promised Azkaban for failure to comply. "I can't go to Azkaban, who would take care of Phillip?"

Ted could see it was time for some hard truths.

"If you go to that hearing, they will most likely find a reason to take your wand."

"Why would they do that? Why now? I already registered like they said to, why can't they just leave me alone?"

"Because V-" Close one. "Because You-Know-Who secretly controls the Ministry."

Marissa swayed. Ted caught her arms and guided her to the sofa.

"That can't be right," she whispered.

"I'm afraid it is. You need to keep your wand."

"I'm practically defenseless even with it. I got a P on my Defense O.W.L. I work in a book shop."

Ted filed that away for later.

"I can't tell you what to do, but you might want to think about leaving the country."

"I can't do that!"

"I know it sounds extreme…"

"No, I literally can't do that. You haven't read the _Prophet_ today, have you?"

"Didn't have the stomach this morning." But Ted went and fetched it from the table in the entryway. He saw immediately what he had missed: a massive headline on the front page that read, "Ministry Seals Borders against Internal and External Threats."

"You see?" Marissa said, looking over his shoulder.

"I'll admit that's a setback," Ted said. "In that case, I know some people who may be able to help."

If he could find them. Usually, Tonks, Remus, or both stood guard while class was in session, but neither was in evidence at the moment.

"Just give me a minute."

They weren't in their room or the garden. Ted even checked inside the potting shed. Not in the kitchen. Andromeda reported that she had not seen them all morning and looked uneasy. Ted felt the same. Had they gotten up and left while Ted and Andromeda still slept? He could not think of many reasons why something like that would not mean bad news for the rest of them.

"I'm sure they'll be back soon," Ted told Marissa with more confidence than he felt when he returned to the living room. "Would you like to stay and wait?"

"No, no, I've taken up enough of your time already," Marissa replied, already half way out the door. "I'll be back for Phillip this afternoon." 

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. Thank you for your advice, but I think I'll just go to the hearing."

"Wait, there's something that maybe you don't know," Ted called.

Marissa paused, teetering on the edge of the top step.

"I'm a Muggle-born too. I understand what you're afraid of."

"I have to go," was all she said.

Ted stood in the open doorway for a long couple minutes, arms crossed, replaying the conversation in his head. It had certainly taken an odd turn at the end. She had seemed terrified of something, desperate to leave. Yet she had left her son behind and promised to come back. Well, panic and confusion could make people do things they would never ordinarily consider; Remus was proof enough of that.

Deciding he probably ought to know what these threats external and internal were supposed to be, Ted shut the door, picked up the paper again, and settled on the sofa. Harry Potter, the Order of the Phoenix, and their allies abroad, as it turned out. The _Prophet_ needed to find some new material.

He read on, not really wanting to, barely paying attention, more out of habit than anything. It might have been useful to know exactly what the Ministry had done to seal the borders; he had not known that such a thing was possible. Of course the _Prophet_ didn't say. He envisioned a giant, inside-out ward over the entire country, then idly wondered if saying Voldemort would break it.

That was about the time his eyes passed over something that the logical, deep-thinking part of his mind latched on to. That was the section of his brain that found the hidden connections between apparently unrelated pieces of information. He ignored it at his peril, even though at its most obtrusive it only reported its findings as a teasing, niggling itch while it waited for the rest of him to wise up. Ted had to read the entire page twice more before finally rediscovering a small advertisement for Polyjuice Potion in the bottom corner. Polyjuice Potion. The newspaper slipped from his limp fingers.

Ted jumped to his feet and raced to the dining room, startling the three students and their teacher. Phillip still looked like himself. Ted glanced at his watch. Class had been in session for over an hour, so Phillip must not be an intruder.

"Sorry," Ted said and backed out, but his heart flipped back over a moment later and he burst in again.

"Ted, we're taking a test," Andromeda scolded. But then she saw the look on his face. "What?" she asked in an undertone.

He gestured for her to follow him into the living room, which she did with reluctance.

"Has Phillip had anything to drink? Anything he brought from home, at least?"

Andromeda's eyes flicked to the ceiling, then back to Ted. "No, he usually brings a bottle of water, but he said his mum forgot to pack it today."

Ted turned in a circle, rubbing his face with his hands. "It might not have been Marissa who dropped him off this morning. I think it was someone else using Polyjuice Potion."

"How do you know?" She turned toward the dining room and added, "Pipe down in there, you're supposed to be taking a test."

"I don't for sure, but she was acting strange. She had gotten a letter about a hearing at the Muggle-born Registration Commission, it seemed like she wanted to ask for help. But when I couldn't find Tonks or Remus she panicked and almost ran out the door. It almost seemed like she thought her potion was about to wear off."

"Nymphadora and I had already offered to help her if she asked," Andromeda said. "None of this tells us anything for sure, maybe she's just scared because of the letter."

"A few other things that may be relevant later. I told her that we know Vol-" Andromeda cut him off with a sharp jab to the chest. "Thank you. I told her that You-Know-Who is in control of the Ministry, and that I'm a Muggle-born."

"Where are Nymphadora and Remus?" she asked in a tight voice.

"I don't know. This is starting to look like a good time for their Patronus trick, though. How's yours?"

"Not great."

"I'll work on it then, you should get back to your students."

"They're in for a surprise if they try to cheat off each other anyway: they've all got different tests."

"Good work. Keep an eye out."

Andromeda returned to the dining room. Ted drew his wand and held it out in front of him.

" _Expecto Patronum_."

Nothing.

" _Expecto Patronum_."

Nothing. He needed happy thoughts, any happy little thought…No, none of that right now.

" _Expecto Patronum_."

A few wisps of bright smoke. It was amazing how vulnerable he suddenly felt with Tonks and Remus unaccounted for.

" _Expecto Patronum_."

A little more smoke. Progress, maybe. Perhaps Tonks and Remus were simply having breakfast somewhere.

" _Expecto Patronum_."

That time the smoke actually started to look like something. That must be it. Tonks or Remus had surprised the other with a romantic outing. They were taking a little of the honeymoon the war had forced them to postpone. It would turn out he had disturbed them for no reason, but they would all have a good laugh about it in the end.

" _Expecto Patronum_."

There was that sea lion. It evaporated a moment later, but he had the knack of it now. He was going to be a grandfather.

" _Expecto Patronum_."

That did it. The bright sea lion skip-ran across the floor for a few paces, then disappeared. The next one he sent to Tonks, wherever she was.

Ted leaned against the back of the sofa in relief. Tonks and Remus would be back in a minute, they would know what to do.

The sea lion reappeared in front of him, looking as confused to find itself back in the Tonkses living room as Ted was to see it again. Of course, he had forgotten that he needed to tell the Patronus where to go. Every organ in his body suddenly seemed to want to touch the floor. Then someone started pounding on the door. No, not pounding on it, kicking it. Ted immediately made up his mind not to answer and started levitating over a bookshelf to reinforce the barrier, but then he heard a familiar rhythm.

Thunk thunk th-thunk thunk.

The pattern Tonks used to announce herself to her parents when she entered a room while wearing a different face. This was repeated, accompanied by a shout. "Let us in!"

Tonks's voice. Ted dropped the bookcase with a messy, multi-tiered crash and raced to the door, and only the other events of that morning prevented him from throwing it open immediately. "P-password?"

" _The Three Musketeers_! Password!"

" _The Man in the Iron Mask_!"

Both sides allowed the door open and Tonks staggered inside, supporting the semi-conscious Remus on her shoulder and with a child-sized creature tied to her chest with her coat. All three of them were covered in blood, boils, and burns. Ted immediately threw Remus's free arm over his shoulder and guided him the rest of the way into the sitting room. Tonks followed, limping badly, lifted the small creature carefully out of the makeshift sling and laid it on the armchair.

Unluckily, the bookshelf had toppled forward when Ted set it down, falling against the back of the sofa, spilling books and shelves everywhere, and drawing the attention of the classroom next door. The three students and one teacher stood watching the chaos with wide eyes. Brittany, Mark, and Phillip recovered first. Andromeda might have gotten knocked into her mental room. They scrambled over, righted the bookshelf, and cleared the books off the sofa so that Tonks and Ted could lay Remus down.

"What happened?" Ted asked, watching Tonks wave her wand slowly over Remus's prone form. She did not answer for a time, and when she did, her sentences were short and direct, all of her concentration elsewhere.

"We went to Grimmauld Place. The Ministry found us. Remus took a curse."

"Why?"

"They were aiming for me. _Epronis._ "

Remus gasped, coughed, breathed easier. Tonks squeezed his shoulder and turned to the creature on the chair. Andromeda came back in time to intersect her on the way.

"You're bleeding."

"What? Oh. It's nothing." The wound was on her wand arm.

Andromeda disagreed.

"You!" She kicked Tonks's feet into a wider stance. "Have!" Physically turned her hips. "To!" Shoulders. "Be!" Lifted Tonks's wand arm. "Careful!"

Ted saw Andromeda's point around the same time Tonks seemed to: she was now standing in a fighting pose, and from some angles the cut on her arm was in a direct path on the way to her stomach. Tonks appeared to have difficulty swallowing for a moment.

"Mrs. Tonks, is the House Elf sick?" Brittany asked from next to the arm chair.

"Kreacher!" Tonks exclaimed, dropping heavily to one knee in front it. The other leg she kept straight, angled out to the side. Andromeda raised her arms in frustration. "Can you hear me?" Tonks asked.

Now that the genus of the being had been identified and he had a proper frame of reference, Ted thought that this Kreacher did not look well at all. To start with, he seemed to be incredibly old, but numerous welts and bruises battered his small body as well.

"Kreacher?" Tonks tried again. "You're safe now, tell me where it hurts."

Kreacher licked his lips and opened his eyes. "Master Harry will be wanting his dinner."

"No, no, don't try and sit up," Tonks said, pushing him back down. "Harry isn't there anymore, it's too dangerous to go back."

"Kreacher must find Master Harry. Master Harry will be wanting his dinner, Mister Ron and Miss Hermione as well."

"They had to run and hide, Kreacher."

"Kreacher can find them."

"You're too hurt. I have to heal you first."

"But Master Harry will be wanting his dinner."

"He's not getting it. Brittany, does your family have a House Elf?"

Brittany nodded. "Her name is Millie."

"Can you call her, please?"

She nodded again. "Millie, I need you," she said to the air.

A moment later there was a tremendous crack and a second House Elf appeared in front of Brittany. "Hello Mistress Brittany," she said with a small bow. "Is Mistress Brittany wanting her lunch?"

"No, thank you Millie. Kreacher is sick, can you help?"

It was an odd, complicated system of communication, but eventually they managed to relay to Kreacher that he could not go and see Harry yet, or perhaps any time in the near future and that his ancestral home was at best overrun, at worst destroyed. In return they managed to collect a reluctant catalog of the various hurts he had received at the hands of the attacking Death Eaters and Ministry fighters, along with advice from Millie on how best to treat them. Between Tonks, Millie, and Andromeda's ministrations, he gradually began to mend. Unnoticed by anyone for a time, Remus came to as well and eventually tried and failed to sit up on the sofa, releasing with a faint groan.

"Remus! Welcome back!" Ted exclaimed.

"Thank you," Remus replied, holding his head in his hands. "Well, that was ill advised."

"No kidding," Tonks said, still kneeling by Kreacher's chair. "We really need to work on our timing."

"I know. Going to visit those three on the one day they aren't there, and then their base gets attacked by Death Eaters?"

"There's one other thing," Ted said, figuring this was as good a time to bring it up as any. He continued in an undertone. "I think Phillip's mother may have actually been someone else with Polyjuice Potion this morning."

Tonks turned to stare at him. "We should probably go check on that."

She levered herself to her feet and pulled her coat back on. Her hand nearly went through the hole over the cut on her arm at first. "What's the address?"

"Not. Yet."

"There might be someone in trouble, Mum. What's the address?"

"Everyone in the entire country might be in trouble, and that includes you."

"Fine," Tonks said. "Phillip, can you tell me where you live?"

"On the fifth floor of the building with the big tree in front."

"Sounds nice," Tonks replied and turned to stare at Andromeda.

"You're not going anywhere until you let me heal you," Andromeda said.

"What, this?" Tonks lifted her arm. "It's a scratch!"

"And what's that?" Andromeda pointed to Tonk's leg, which she had been avoiding putting weight on and appeared unable to bend at the knee. Andromeda watched with a raised eyebrow while she tested both of these parameters.

"I didn't even notice."

"Sit."

Chastened, Tonks hobbled to the sofa, sat down on the edge, and propped her wounded leg on the coffee table. Remus tried to scoot over to make more space for her, but she pushed him back down again. He gripped her hand instead.

Andromeda ran her wand over the abused limb, pointed it at a spot just above the knee, and gave it a tap. Tonks squirmed briefly in discomfort, then the painful tension in her shoulders eased and she tested out her knee and ankle successfully. She tried to get to her feet, but Andromeda pushed her down by the shoulder and took care of the cut on her arm as well. Then she started a full examination.

"This is my job, Mum!" Tonks exclaimed when Andromeda lifted her wand once more and started again at her head.

"You do-"

"Andy, she's fine," Ted said quickly, drowning out his wife. He would much rather take the consequences of accidentally saying Voldemort aloud than watch what would happen if Andromeda told Tonks that she wasn't an Auror anymore.

"Thanks, Dad. Mum, do you have the address?"

With obvious reluctance, Andromeda went to find it. Tonks turned to Remus.

"Think you have one more in you today?"

Remus nodded, but it was obvious to Ted that he did not.

"Stay put," Andromeda instructed Remus when she returned with a slip of paper. "I'll go with you, Nymphadora."

"No offense, Mum, but you're not much of a fighter. And you've been freezing up a lot more than usual recently."

"You don't seem to have many alternatives. You can't go alone, Remus can't go at all, and if this is a trap for Muggle-borns, it would be much better if it's sprung on Bellatrix Lestrange's sister than an actual Muggle-born, wouldn't you say? Besides, I can bluff my way out of a steel cage, remember?"

"I did say that," Tonks grumbled. "Fine, just stay behind me."

"I don't think I will."

They stepped outside and Disapparated, leaving Ted and Remus with three young students and two House Elves. Fortunately, the children seemed too fascinated with Kreacher and Millie to have caught that Phillip's mother might be in danger.

"Mistress Linda is wanting Millie back now," Millie reported, and promptly disappeared.

All right, one House Elf.

"How are you feeling, Kreacher?" Remus called across the room.

"Kreacher is much better, Mister Remus."

Ted found that amazing, the poor House Elf had looked near death when Tonks brought him inside.

"Where did he come from?" Ted asked.

"Grimmauld Place, in London," Remus replied. "Sirius's old house. It was the headquarters of the Order until Dumbledore died. Harry, Ron, and Hermione were hiding out there. Kreacher said he was expecting them back. I just hope they managed to avoid the trouble that found us."

"Where is Master Harry?" Kreacher asked.

"I'm sorry, Kreacher, but I don't know. You understand that you can't go back to Grimmauld Place?"

"Yes," Kreacher confirmed, an unmistakable look of devastation crossing his face. He played with a locket hanging on a chain around his neck, opening and closing it with a series of faint clicks.

"Did Harry give you any orders in case he didn't come back?"

"Master Harry said Kreacher is not to go looking for him."

"Nothing else?"

Kreacher shook his head, ears wagging. That was rather incomplete thinking on Harry's part, Ted decided, looking at the downcast, homeless Elf.

"You could stay here, if you want," Ted offered. "As a guest, I mean."

"Kreacher a guest?" The concept seemed alien to him.

"You wouldn't have to do any cooking or cleaning," Ted elaborated. "You could just…" What might a House Elf like to do for fun? "…read books? Crochet? Um…"

Kreacher was still mulling that over when there was a knock at the door. Ted rushed to answer it and exchanged passwords with Tonks. As soon as the door opened Marissa raced inside and swept Phillip into her arms.

Ted looked to Andromeda and Tonks for their report, but by the prickling in his gut he already knew what they would say. They both nodded. Whoever had dropped Phillip off that morning, it had not been Marissa. The Ministry knew that Ted still lived there, and that they were aware of who truly controlled the government. If there was one glimmer of good fortune, it was that Tonks and Remus had not been present that morning, although Ted had revealed that at least two members of the Order were usually on hand.

"She didn't tell them anything," Tonks said quietly. "All they knew was that she had access to Mum."

Then Marissa had held up better than Ted.

"Mummy, you're squeezing me too tight," Phillip complained.

"Sorry, baby." She set him down.

"Are you nice again?"

"I'm nice again."

"Good. I have to go finish my test now."

He strode off, back to the dining room. Mark and Brittany, who were still crowded around Kreacher, took notice. Mark hesitated, but eventually followed Phillip. Brittany gave Andromeda a pleading look, then an accusatory one, but must have found no mercy there. Inwardly, Ted thought that Brittany had a point.

"Oh, stop looking at me like that," Andromeda said when Brittany had disappeared. "They'll all get full marks. But right now we need to talk."

"Marissa, did you get summoned to a hearing before the Muggle-born Registration Commission?" Ted asked, wanting to know how much of what the imposter said had been true.

Marissa nodded miserably and touched one of her pockets. "It was yesterday. They said I stole my wand from a real witch or wizard and took it away from me. But I didn't!" She looked on the verge of tears.

Ted tried to imagine how she felt and found he could do so almost too easily. He had lived as a wizard for almost forty years. Loosing his wand would be like loosing an arm. What possible utility could an expert in ancient magic find in the Muggle world? If the wizarding world rejected him, he would have no place to go.

"We can help," Tonks offered.

"How?" Marissa wailed. "It's too late. They took my wand. I'm not a witch anymore!"

Even Tonks seemed aware that her plan was a little light on details.

"Having a wand does not make you a witch," Andromeda said sternly, as though she was talking to one of her students. "Phillip has no wand yet, but only yesterday he got so angry at a math problem that he made a cup of water boil."

"He did?"

Andromeda nodded. "If the Ministry will not accept you as you are, then you must simply find a place that will."

"Leave England?" The idea seemed not to have occurred to her. "Maybe…actually…maybe that would be for the best."

It had occurred to Ted, but there was something that Andromeda might not know. That morning's _Daily Prophet_ still sat on the coffee table, a little battered from Tonks's shoe, but still proclaiming boldly that the borders of the country were closed. He passed her the page. It was a nice thought, but…

That cheeky know it all at the back of his head suddenly had another idea, and it thought it was a good one. Ted could practically feel it laughing at him, waiting to see how long it would take him to catch up. Ted did not appreciate the judgment, but tried to gather up the idea all the same.

A Portkey? Probably not. If a Portkey could penetrate barrier magic then the Ministry would not have needed to resort to Polyjuice potion that morning. And while Ted considered the wards around his house to be particularly well placed, he had no doubt that the Ministry had access to much more raw power when creating their new barrier.

Muggle transportation? Getting colder. The Ministry could no doubt shut down planes, boats, and bridges at least as easily as they could block Apparition. Besides, the Tonkses would have a huge job just pulling together the Muggle coin to pay for such a trip.

Well, maybe if they got a big group together and had everyone shout "Voldemort" repeatedly. The little bastard in his mind knocked its metaphysical head against a metaphysical wall. That, finally, knocked something loose in Ted's physical head.

"Millie could Apparate through our wards."

That finally shut it up.

"Yes and no," Remus replied. "Elf magic is different from wizarding magic. The effect is the same, but she wasn't Apparating, precisely."

"Kreacher can do the same thing?" Ted asked. The House Elf had been standing forgotten next to the arm chair, but perked up uncertainly at the sound of his name.

"Presumably, if he so chooses, or if his master orders him."

"Could he transport Marissa and Phillip out of the country?"

Remus thought it over a minute. "That depends on how they sealed the borders. But Ted, you can't trust Kreacher. He betrayed Sirius."

Ted realized his mistake a moment later and could have cursed himself for it.

"Kreacher, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have been talking about you like you weren't there."

"Kreacher is used to it."

That made Ted feel even worse. "None of us is your master, and I have offered you hospitality. You are free to stay or leave, as you prefer." An odd expression crossed Kreacher's face when Ted used the word 'free.' "Separate from that arrangement, I hope you will consider assisting Marissa and Phillip across the border. I think your abilities would give them their best chance of escaping, but you can decline and no one will think any less of you."

The House Elf took a long time considering that.

"Kreacher may…decide?"

"Yes."

"Ted, quick sidebar?" Remus asked.

Ted sighed, helped Remus to his feet, and followed him to the garden. When they got outside, he was surprised to find that Andromeda and Tonks had come as well. He had the nasty feeling he was about to be ganged up on.

"I take it you have some notes."

"You don't know Kreacher like we do," Remus said. "He's foul, loyal only to the Blacks. He only listened to Sirius because Sirius was his master, he'll sell us out the first chance he gets."

"I remember that little cretin from when I was a teenager," Andromeda continued. "He would follow me around whenever I went to visit Sirius, trying to catch me doing something unbecoming of my status as a pure-blood so he could report me to Sirius's mother."

"He was probably under orders to do that, and Sirius was a horrible master to him," Tonks said in protest, much to Ted's relief. "No wonder Kreacher was never loyal to him. But look at him now. I don't know what Harry did, but Kreacher is completely different. He didn't call me an unnatural shape changer a single time this morning, and even as injured as he was, all he cared about was having dinner ready for Harry, Ron, and Hermione. Under orders or not, you don't act that way for someone you hate."

"None of us is his master and we can't get word to Harry," Remus said. "We can't control him."

"Then we'll have to trust him," Ted said. "House Elves tend to adopt the ethics of masters they respect. So we'll have to trust Harry, too."

"I thought we already were," Andromeda said.

"Now we also have to trust that he's a better person than Sirius," Tonks replied.

"Sirius was one of my closest friends, I thought of him as a brother," Remus said. "And I can tell you without hesitation that Harry is a better person."

Andromeda nodded, looking downcast.

"Then perhaps we should go and see if Kreacher knows what he would like to do."

When the group returned to the living room, Kreacher and Marissa were talking.

"So you've actually met Harry Potter?"

"Kreacher is the last in the line of House Elves to serve the Ancient and Most Noble House of Black…"

That seemed a poor omen.

"…and the first House Elf to serve the Great Harry Potter."

"What's he like?"

"Master Harry is brave and good. He will be wanting his dinner, and Kreacher is not allowed to find him."

"I hope he's all right, wherever he is."

"So does Kreacher."

"Sorry to interrupt," Ted interjected. "I don't want to rush you, Kreacher, but have you decided what you would like to do?"

As before, Kreacher seemed overwhelmed with being offered a choice at all. He spent a long moment shaking his head over it.

"Kreacher will help Miss Marissa and Mister Phillip," he replied at last. "It is what Master Harry would want."

"Okay! Great!" Ted said. He had been genuinely concerned that the House Elf would decide not to do it. "Where do you want to go, Marissa?"

That turned out to be a thornier issue that expected. Marissa had no acquaintances outside of England and, it was becoming painfully clear, few inside it. Ted corresponded frequently with a colleague in Italy, but the man was over a hundred and more than a little senile. They decided to hold that option in reserve. When pressed, Andromeda admitted to an aunt in Spain, but pointed out that calling on her for aid would not end well for anyone. Remus's lycanthropy had prevented him from traveling abroad for years. Finally, Tonks's eyes lit up.

"What about Hagrid's friend? Madam…Madam Maxime! She's headmistress of Beauxbatons."

That had some possibilities, plus they were already scraping the bottom of the cauldron. Aside from the minor problem of etiquette presented by calling on a near stranger for help with no warning, no one had any objections. They decided that Remus and Marissa would go to Marissa's house to pack what they could, Tonks would go to Hagrid –

"No, wait, I can't get to Hagrid, he's at Hogwarts."

– Tonks would go to Fleur and Bill to get a letter of introduction, accompanied by –

"Mrs. Tonks, we're finished with our test!"

Actually, Andromeda would stay behind and teach a primer on French. And Ted would keep Kreacher company.

"Kreacher is not needing company."

Ted would keep Kreacher company.

Surprising everyone, Remus and Marissa returned before Tonks. In fact, they were getting a little worried, but she reappeared after a full hour with the correct password, a thick letter, and a red face.

"Seems I forgot to relay some information to Bill and Fleur in a timely manner," she explained. "They found out from Molly. Fleur had some words on the subject."

"Like what?" Remus asked.

"Dunno, most of it was in French. The phrase 'Vous êtes un crapaud mouchetée' came up a lot."

Andromeda snorted but wouldn't explain.

"I'd guessed it wasn't very nice."

Just when it seemed like all the preparations were in place, Andromeda disappeared for a moment and returned with a bulging sack of coins, which she pressed into Marissa's hands.

"I can't take this," Marissa protested, trying to hand it back.

"Well, you're not leaving without it."

Marissa seemed to understand that it was no good arguing the point. She slid the sack into her bag and said, "I don't know how to repay you."

"Just do this," Andromeda said, "tell the people you meet what's really happening here. We may need outside help when it comes time to overthrow V-"

"Careful!"

"No, don't!"

"Andy!"

There was a knock at the door. For a brief moment Ted thought that Andromeda had completed the word after all, but then he remembered that Death Eaters tended not to bother with knocking. Tonks went to answer it and returned with Fred, George, and a foul smelling goblet of potion.

"Lupin, we've got your first dose of…"

"Blimey, what's all…Were you having a party without us?"

"Kreacher."

"Twin."

Tonks quickly brought them up to speed and they stood back to watch while Kreacher transported Marissa and Phillip away. When they were gone, Fred continued with his original thought.

"First dose of Wolfsbane potion. It looks like it's supposed to, but…"

"…it's a tricky one," George finished.

"It smells like it's supposed to," Remus said, wrinkling his nose as he took the goblet from Fred. "I don't doubt your abilities, boys, but if this didn't turn out right I'll transform immediately. So I'll go drink it in the shed."

They all followed him outside. "Professional interest," Fred claimed when Remus turned back to ask why.

Tonks took Remus's wand and locked him inside the potting shed.

"Here goes," Remus called.

There were several seconds of silence.

"What happened?" Tonks asked at last.

"Sorry, I haven't drunk it yet. I was just remembering how bad it tastes. Okay."

Again, several seconds of silence.

"Well?"

"I…I think it worked."

Tonks gave a hoot and opened the shed. Remus stepped out looking exactly like normal, only exuberant. He shook Fred and George's hands warmly as they all headed back inside.

"I don't know how to thank you."

"You'll think of something."

"I've always thought Fred was an excellent name."

"Kreacher! Merlin!"

"Other twin."

"You're back!" Ted exclaimed. He had honestly not expected the House Elf to return. "How did it go?"

"Miss Marissa and Mister Phillip are to join Madame Maxime for lunch," Kreacher said.

"Fantastic!" Finally something was going right. "You may have actually saved their lives, you know. Is there anything we can do in return?"

He took a long time to think it over, but in the end only asked for something that Ted had already offered.

"Kreacher's home is destroyed. Kreacher's master is in hiding. Kreacher does not like the cold. Kreacher needs a place to stay."

"Of course," Ted replied at once. "You can stay with us as long as you like, as long as you need."

"Kreacher," George said. "Other Muggle-borns may need help escaping the Ministry as well. Will you think about transporting them too?"

"Kreacher will do it," he said, needing no time to think. "It is what Master Harry would want."

"I'm sure that's true," George said. Then at a lower volume, "Can't believe that's the same Elf."


	8. Recent developments in potion making

**Chapter 8: Recent developments in potion making**

Remus forced himself to read all the way to the end of the article in the _Daily Prophet_ , ostensibly to see if he could find any factual information at all, but also at least in part because it was something to do. It took him longer than it usually would because at least half his attention was on the one being who looked even less comfortable with his position in the Tonks household than Remus felt.

He had to admit that Kreacher had more than proven himself in the two weeks since his arrival, transporting three additional families with Muggle-borns to France and other locations, but at other times the House Elf seemed to have no notion of what to do with himself. His lifetime of servitude had left him unprepared for existence as a guest. He tended to wander around aimlessly, unwilling even to sit on the furniture without invitation, sometimes touching the knickknacks on various tables and then looking around furtively, afraid someone had observed him straightening up or checking for dust.

Remus could not recall ever being cruel to a House Elf in the past, Kreacher included, but up until then he had never been particularly courteous to one either. More often he tended to ignore them, an uncomfortable fact of existence, or to regard them with a bit of shame, as intelligent creatures who occupied the same textbooks as werewolves and suffered at least as much for it. Now that he considered it, that behavior seemed a little cruel by itself.

"Kreacher, have you have breakfast yet?"

"Yes, Mister Remus."

Kreacher never joined them for meals, though Ted made sure that they always set a place for him. Thinking about it, Remus had never actually seen him eat at all, but Andromeda seemed to know the protocol: she left a plate of food for him in the ice box every night and every morning they found the dish on the drying rack next to the sink.

"Would you like to join me? Do you get tired of standing there?" Kreacher often lingered around the dining room on school mornings. Remus supposed he liked to visit with the students.

"No, Mister Remus."

"Oh, all right."

But it turned out that Kreacher had been answering his second question, not the first. The Elf approached the table, hesitated, then climbed up on the chair next to Remus, kneeling so he could see over the surface.

"I could find you a book to sit on," Remus offered. They had all learned to take some care when discussing ordinary objects around Kreacher. Otherwise he tended to assume that they wanted him to fetch something.

"Kreacher is fine."

"Here's _The Quibbler_ if you want to take a look."

They read in silence for several minutes, long enough for Remus to finish another article, its news no better than the one before. Tonks appeared on the stairs, cutting it rather fine if she wanted to eat breakfast before class started, though that meal was only just beginning to agree with her again.

"Kreacher, Remus," she said, sitting down with a piece of plain toast.

Remus glanced at up at her and smiled. To his eye, she was beginning to look a bit thicker around the middle, though maybe that was just extrapolation on his part, whether due to excitement or anxiety was hard to say.

Tonks had pointed out early on in Kreacher's stay that they needed to keep on his good side since he could turn all of them over to the Death Eaters any time he wanted. She even suffered him to call her Miss Nymphadora. On the other hand, during the same conversation, she had also admitted that being an Auror sometimes made her paranoid. Remus thought she was right on both fronts, but at least Kreacher had shown no signs of discontentment so far. There was no indication that Tonks was ever going to become less paranoid.

"Kreacher, can you read?" Tonks asked, startling Remus out of a third article. He could feel nothing but gratitude for that.

"The Elves of the House of Black is not allowed," Kreacher said.

Remus looked from Tonks, to the torn up piece of toast in front of her, to the House Elf next to him and saw at once what had tipped her off: Kreacher was idly flipping through the magazine, sometimes pausing to study the pictures but paying no attention to the words.

"Well, you're not an Elf of the House of Black anymore. Would you like to learn?"

"Is reading hard for House Elves?"

Remus could have kicked himself. He might still do so later. Was this the reason Kreacher hung around before the start of school? Because he wanted to join the class?

"No harder than for humans, I expect," Tonks said. "I could give you your first lesson right now if you want."

Kreacher had the alphabet mastered much sooner than Remus would have guessed, but of course he must have a prodigious memory, how else could he have run an entire household for decades without ever being able to take a single note?

Soon they progressed on to the few words that Kreacher could recognize, but Remus found his attention drifting back to the _Daily Prophet_. The news was terrible and filled with lies, but he found it difficult to look away. He knew he would read it through to the end whether he wanted to or not and was beginning to fear that the week's copy of _The Quibbler_ was lost to him, because he would need something to cheer him up afterwards.

On top of that, Remus suspected that they should tell Kreacher what the _Prophet_ was saying about the disappearances of some Muggle-borns before he developed the skill to read it for himself, which looked like it would be soon. It had taken the paper over a week to report on the unexplained disappearance of Marissa and Phillip Berkley, and their theories on the matter seemed to run toward murder-suicide. Since then, they had noted several more disappearances, but the worst part was that one of them had nothing to do with the Order.

They needed a better way to get information about the path out of the country to those who needed it. Word of mouth was not enough with the Ministry restricting travel and communication, especially since those outside the Order who knew about it tended to be the ones rapidly shepherded away. The copy of _The Quibbler_ that Tonks and Kreacher currently poured over should have their first notice tucked unobtrusively on one of its pages.

The four of them had spent hours arguing over that paragraph, Tonks and Andromeda maintaining that the Ministry surely monitored the magazine and would suss out their network in half a heartbeat. On the other hand, Ted had been certain he could craft something transparent to any Muggle-born but impenetrable to the Ministry, with Remus willing to suspend a decision until he saw what Ted came up with.

In the end, it started with something along the lines of "Is your current land too gray? Gulchy neighbors got you down? No need to wait for the twister." and only made less sense from there.

Ted claimed it made use of a reference to a well known Muggle film, and he was certainly the resident authority on those. Since even Tonks could barely make heads or tails of it, she and Andromeda had eventually agreed to go ahead. Remus just hoped that the nonsensical statement would blend in to the rest of the magazine.

They would have to wait and see if any additional Muggle-borns actually found their way to them through _The Quibbler_ , but in the mean time they had only addressed one of the problems Remus wanted to solve. Heaviest on his mind were Harry, Ron, and Hermione.

Remus and Tonks's attempt to surprise those three with breakfast had not gone to plan by any conceivable measure, and they still had no explanation for why they had not returned when Kreacher had clearly expected them back, or why the Ministry had suddenly found Grimmauld Place. That was a large part of why Remus still read the _Daily Prophet_ each day: certainly if the Ministry managed to capture their undesirable number one they would make it front page news. So those three were still free, somehow, and Remus still owed Harry a thanks and an apology.

Wherever they were, Hermione at least had enough foresight to make their position impossible for mail owls to find, but if she had forgotten then Remus was not going to be the one to expose them with a letter. There had to be another way to get information to them, though. He had sensed some of their isolation during his brief visit and knew from experience how quickly that could turn to despair.

"I've got to turf you lot out," Andromeda said, startling Remus out of his thoughts. He realized that he had been idly reading the same unhappy article for the past ten minutes at least. The words finally penetrated his brain all at once and refused to shift from there. The _Prophet_ was praising Fenrir Greyback for slaughtering his own pack during the last full moon, the same one that Remus had gotten to enjoy with his mind intact for the first time in years. That seemed out of character for Greyback, who always preached the benefits of having more werewolves, not less of them.

"Remus?"

"Yes, sorry."

Remus returned Andromeda's friendly smile while he gathered up the dishes and newspaper. Even though he would probably never be able to forgive himself for disappearing like he had, at least one good thing had come from it: an increased understanding of his mother in law. Now when he looked at her, he could see the spirit of a dissident, and the person who had been Sirius's only ally before he came to Hogwarts.

"Mum, how would you like to take on another student?" Tonks asked when Brittany and Mark were at their usual spots at the table.

"Who?" Andromeda asked.

"Kreacher."

"Oh. Well…sure. Of course. Kreacher, why didn't you say anything?"

"House Elves is not allowed to ask."

"Well, you are around here. Grab some parchment and a quill."

Tonks and Remus settled in their usual places in the living room, both more diligent in their duties after being absent the one morning when they were needed. In addition to that, they had insisted on creating passwords with Brittany, Mark, and their parents, lest the Ministry try to gain entrance again using Polyjuice potion.

So far, Andromeda was still able to rebuff any official visits from the Ministry. In fact, half the time the unwelcome visitors still claimed they were looking for Remus and Tonks. But they all agreed that sooner or later someone would come and insist on taking Ted away. In all likelihood, only the sheer number of Muggle-borns that the Ministry had to prosecute had kept that from happening already.

"What've you got on today?" Remus asked Tonks idly.

"Thought I'd impersonate Bellatrix, figure out where-"

"Watch-" Remus interrupted, but she didn't need it.

"- You-Know-Who is hiding and take him out myself."

"That's what you said yesterday."

"Yes, well, I ended up making cookies instead."

Remus remembered those cookies; he thought a piece of one might still be stuck in his teeth.

"How about you?"

"I'm going to start a radio station."

The words were out of him before he was aware of making a decision. It was something Sirius would have thought of, like his old friend had taken control of his brain for a moment. Remus stared at the wizarding wireless set on the mantle piece and knew it was the solution to their communication problem. All but one station had been silent since shortly after the coup, and the news on the remaining broadcast was more or less the same as what was in the _Prophet_ , and not improved by being read aloud.

"Brilliant," Tonks replied, sitting up. "I've got some records somewhere. Do you know how to cast a transmitter?"

Remus shook his head to that. "Maybe there's something in one of your Dad's books. And music would be great too, but I was actually thinking more about news, real news, stuff the Ministry doesn't want people to know." Getting a little excited now, he continued, "We'd have to figure out a way to make sure they can't find it, always broadcast at different times, from different places, use a password…"

"Pirate radio, even better," Tonks agreed. "Let's do it."

* * *

Setting up a radio station took more time and effort than Remus originally anticipated. Ted did indeed have a book on the subject, and though it was mostly theory it did dispel their original notion that it would be as simple as casting a spell on the receiver they already had to make it work backwards. And after they did finally get a transmitter working they still had to contend with the security measures.

The work went faster when Fred and George got involved, however, along with Lee Jordan, who turned out to have a real knack for public speaking and related technology. No one took credit for sharing the plan with them and Remus began to suspect that their sixth senses for mischief had simply led them to call on the Tonks residence at the right time to come upon them and their disemboweled wireless transmitter.

In the end it was more than two months between its inception and the first broadcast of Potterwatch, but Remus kept them going, refusing to give up even when the task seemed impossible. He had an added motivation that only Tonks knew about: even though he knew it was unlikely that Harry, Ron, and Hermione would be able to listen to the broadcast, since they did not even know of its existence, to say nothing of how to find it, Remus was willing to take any chance he could get to apologize to them and help them feel less alone in their task.

But, finally, at the end of November, they had everything ready. On a Friday night, Remus sat with Lee Jordan and Kingsley Shacklebolt around a small table with their hacked together transmitter and a lamp at the center. Just in case they missed some precaution and the Ministry was able to track them after all, they had decided to rebuild a small section of Remus and Tonks's destroyed house, cover it with the usual wards, and use it as their base of operations, at least temporarily. Anyone who was not directly contributing to the broadcast was banned from the premises, something Tonks had taken objection to, although since she had recently needed to start altering her clothing she seemed to know that she did not have much of a leg to stand on.

"You ready, Professor?" Lee asked.

In fact, Remus needed a moment, and they gave it to him. Everyone involved had agreed that as the person who came up with the idea for Potterwatch, Remus should be the one to speak first. They had distributed instructions for how to listen in to the Order and trusted friends beyond, in all likelihood no more than fifty people would be able to hear them. Remus had spoken to larger groups, he had spent one of the best years of his adult life as a teacher, yet he still felt unaccountably nervous. But then he thought of Tonks back at the house, tapping the radio with her wand and chanting "Potter, Potter, Potter, Potter," waiting for him.

"All right," Remus said. He cleared his throat and pushed the button.

"Good evening, and welcome to Potterwatch. This is Romulus and I'm here with River and Royal." He tried to speak slowly and clearly. That turned out to be hard to do in practice. "We're here to give you the news that the Ministry doesn't want you to know. First, a few preliminaries. Each broadcast will require a new password to listen in. We'll give the password to the next program at the end of this one. We will keep the timing of the broadcast irregular to avoid detection." Speaking got a little easier as he went on. "Please tell your trusted friends how to find us. We want as many people as possible to know what's going on. And with that, I'll hand it over to River with the news."

"Thanks Romulus," Lee said, and he continued, easily working through all the information about the Ministry that the Order knew, movements of Death Eaters, and advice for looking after neighbors, both magical and Muggle, without reference to a single note. Occasionally he would call in Kingsley for analysis or more information about the current workings and interests of the Ministry.

Remus tuned back in when Lee reached a piece of information that directly concerned him.

"As our listeners probably know, Muggle-borns are currently suffering under unlawful persecution, being forced to register with the Ministry, then getting called in for hearings that often result in their wands being stolen from them. I urge any Muggle-born listeners not to submit to these hearings. Anyone feeling threatened can come to the Order of the Phoenix for protection or even resettlement outside the country. Send a letter with a way to contact you to the post office in Bath any way you can. The location to send these letters will change with every broadcast to protect the network involved.

"One more matter before we sign off. As we warned you earlier, You-Know-Who's chosen name is now the subject of a Taboo. Speaking it aloud will collapse any protective magic in the area and alert Death Eaters and Snatchers to your location. Now, I don't know about you, but I get tired of saying You-Know-Who all the time. It sticks on the tongue, and, besides, what if you don't know who, you know?"

"No, I don't know," Remus chimed in, as rehearsed.

"Exactly. What we need is something different to call him. I know a few people who prefer 'Lord Moldy Shorts' or 'Old Moldy Shorts' for informal occasions. Royal here says it's too phonetically similar, but we can all enunciate better than that, can't we? We've made it through Flitwick's class."

"Chief Death Eater seems clear enough to me," Kingsley said. He had said the same before they started broadcasting.

"Dear listener, you have your assignment. Come up with something to call You-Know-Who that's catchier than the Chief Death Eater, otherwise that's what we're stuck with until we're out of this. So please, I'm begging you. Now, I believe Romulus has one last thing he would like to say."

"Thank you River," Remus said. "This message is for Harry Potter. He may not know how to listen in, but I can still hope that it will reach him somehow. I want to tell him, thank you and I'm sorry. He was right. He'll know what about. And all of us are with him in spirit."

"Thank you Romulus. Well, that's it for tonight, folks," Lee concluded. "The next password with be 'Gryffindor.' Keep each other safe: Keep faith. Good night."

And Lee released the button. Remus breathed easy for the first time in an hour.

"That seemed to go well enough," he said, shaking hands with the other two.

"Can we do it again tomorrow?" Lee asked, his eyes bright.

"Maybe we should see if anyone could actually hear us, first," Remus suggested, packing up the transmitter. "And make sure there aren't a hundred Death Eaters outside."

"Details," Lee muttered.

"Who do you know who calls him 'Old Moldy Shorts'?" Kingsley asked.

"Who do you think?"

A bright Patronus suddenly appeared on the table on front of them, a Niffler, Bill's. Remus held his breath. It opened its mouth and said, "All clear."

"Gentlemen," Remus said, shaking hands with them again.

"Until next time," Kingsley replied.

"Make it soon," Lee agreed.

They left the small room and went their separate ways.

When Remus returned to the Tonks house he was met with a round of applause, even from Kreacher, though maybe he was just following the others' example. Remus acknowledged it gratefully. Everyone was arrayed around the living room and the wireless had the place of honor on the coffee table.

"Come on now," Remus said when this carried on for longer than it took him to set down the transmitter. "It wasn't just me, all of you helped."

"But it was your idea," Tonks said, getting up and planting a kiss on him.

"You have no idea how comforting it was to hear some good news for once," Andromeda said.

Remus thought back. He supposed that perhaps one of the items Lee had reported could be considered good.

"Some correct news, at least," Ted clarified.

"And it must be great for anyone who's not part of the Order to know that there are other people resisting." Tonks added. "Do you think Harry heard what you said?"

"Probably not yet, but I'm going to keep saying it until I'm sure he has, I owe him that."

"Dinner!" Andromeda decided. "Cake! We need cake!"

"Hear, hear!" Ted said.

"Do Fred and George really call You-Know-Who 'Lord Moldy Shorts'?" Tonks asked as they headed for the table.

"You'd have to ask them," Remus said, "but I wouldn't be surprised."

"Should Kreacher answer the door?"

"Did you ever see their advertisement for You-No-Poo?" Tonks giggled.

"Kreacher should answer the door."

"Actually, I am surprised that they don't call him- wait, what did he s-? Kreacher, no!"

No time to be polite, no chance to worry about offending the House Elf, no time to even cross the room, Remus drew his wand and slammed the cracked door shut again, turned the lock. Kreacher looked back in hurt and surprise.

"I'm sorry, but you can't just…"

"Mum! The door!"

Andromeda hurried over immediately, smoothing her robes.

"Hide, you four," she instructed.

Tonks took the apologetic Kreacher's hand and they joined Ted in the dining room, where they were out of sight but could still listen in.

"Who's there?" Andromeda called through the door.

"Ministry census!" The tone was unfriendly.

"Just a moment!"

"Open up!" That was a different voice. There were at least two of them. Remus still gripped his wand tightly and Tonks drew hers as well. Ted, however, looked a little distant.

"All right, all right," Andromeda complained. "What can I do for you gentlemen?"

"We are looking for the Muggle-born Edward Tonks," the first voice said. His voice was a little deeper than his companion's.

"He's a half-blood and you won't find him here," Andromeda replied. "As I told the man who came by weeks ago, I kicked my ex-husband out."

"We have reports that say otherwise," said the deeper voice. "On both counts."

"Is anyone else here?" asked the higher voice.

"No, no one."

"Then who opened and slammed the door?"

"Oh, that, my House Elf gets a little overeager. Kreacher! Come here!"

Years of habit conflicting with his current position of freedom, Kreacher seemed unsure whether to defy the order or spring to obey, but Tonks grabbed his arm, bent down to his level, and spoke to him extremely quickly.

"Kreacher, I know this must hurt you, but we are all in a lot of danger right now. You have to play along. Pretend my mother is your Mistress."

"But Kreacher's Master is Harry Potter."

"Pretend!"

"Kreacher!" Andromeda's tone make him flinch, nearly grovel, but he emerged from the dining area. "There, you see?"

"We heard voices," the higher voice said. "Not just a House Elf."

"Okay, this one's me," Tonks decided. "Keep an eye on my Dad, he doesn't look so good."

"Not a chance," Remus said.

"I don't know what you heard," Andromeda said. "There's no one else here."

"Why not? They might be after you too, _Romulus_."

"You're kidding, right?"

"Then I suppose you won't mind if we come inside and have a look around," the deeper voice said.

"Set one toe inside my home and I'll curse it off."

"Threatening a Ministry official is punishable with time in Azkaban," said deep voice. "So out of deference to your family I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that. Consider it your only warning. Now, will you let us inside?"

"Don't argue," Remus said to Tonks, then he turned and stepped into the main room.

"Remus, when did you get here?" Andromeda asked him, gratitude on the face she showed him.

"Just a couple minutes ago," Remus replied jauntily. "Came in through the back door."

"My son-in-law," Andromeda explained.

The eyes on the census takers nearly popped out.

"Remus Lupin the werewolf?" said deep voice.

"Where is your wife, Mr. Lupin?" asked high voice.

"Still at home," Remus said. "She asked me to pop over for Andromeda's recipe for fig pudding." The speed of his own improvisation surprised him; he hadn't needed to think of a lie that quickly since the last time Minerva caught him and the other Marauders wandering the Forbidden Forest after hours.

He thought he heard Tonks make a 'ch' sound in the next room. One of the officials checked his parchment, no doubt reading a previous census taker's note that Andromeda had claimed she and Tonks were estranged.

"I'll get that for you in a minute, Remus," Andromeda said. "Just let me finish up here."

"Mr. Lupin, we have been unable to locate you."

"There were suspicions that you were killed along with the rest of Greyback's pack."

Remus contained a sigh. That would have been useful, had he known about it. He had never thought he would find a reason to be grateful to Greyback.

"Kreacher will fetch the recipe." He trotted back toward the kitchen. Remus wondered why. Did Andromeda actually have a recipe for fig pudding and did Kreacher know where she kept it? This was getting a little difficult to keep straight.

"Well, someone knocked my house down, we had to move," he said to the Ministry men.

"What is your current address?"

Remus spoke too fast. "12 Grim-" He coughed to covered it up. The Ministry knew about Grimmauld Place now, they must have set a watch on it. "12 Grimm Street. Aberdeen." He sincerely hoped there was no such place.

Something was pressed into his hand. Remus looked down and saw Kreacher standing at his knee. Wondering if he actually was about to learn the secrets behind Andromeda's fig pudding, Remus looked at the slip of paper. It was a note from Tonks.

 _We have to do their memories. Say when._

He had already decided that for himself, but he knew something Tonks didn't. Three men were standing in the doorway, not just the two who had spoken. He had to get word to her somehow.

"You can expect a call from us shortly, Mr. Lupin."

"Of course," Remus replied. "Kreacher, this is the wrong recipe. We want the one with three different types of figs, not two."

"Yes, Mister Remus," Kreacher replied, taking the paper back and disappearing again into the dining area. Remus couldn't tell if he understood the message, he could only hope that Tonks had.

"Back to the subject of your husband, Mrs. Tonks."

"Ex-husband."

"Our records say otherwise. If he fails to register as a Muggle-born and appear before a committee hearing within four days he will be considered noncompliant. The punishment for him and anyone found helping him is Azkaban."

"Lucky I'm not helping him."

"We are very serious about this Mrs. Tonks. Your family connections will not help you here. We have an official witness who says Mr. Tonks was in this house. So I suggest you find your husband and…"

The census taker trailed off. A moment later Remus figured out why: Tonks slipped her arm through his.

"Hi Honey," she said. The pet name sounded strange coming from her. "I just wanted to see what was taking you so long. What's all this?"

"Er."

Deep voice recovered first.

"Mrs. Lupin, I presume?"

"I kept my name, actually."

"You're pregnant."

"Very observant, sir," Tonks replied. "Now?"

"Now," Remus agreed.

They were quick. Andromeda ducked out of the way and all three Ministry workers soon stood passive, swaying slightly on their feet, their recent memories gone. Andromeda took the parchment about them from the one who held it, altered the notes he had taken, and slipped it back into his hand.

"That was way too close," she said when she had finished and shut the door on the three officials.

"Why did you come out here?" Remus asked Tonks. "If they break that memory charm…"

"If I'd tried to jump out I would have been at a bad angle to the door," she explained. "It might have worked for two, but not three. Besides, did you see their faces?"

Actually, Remus had not. He had been too busy staring at her in surprise.

"I have to apologize to Kreacher," he said instead.

"Does anyone hear singing?" Andromeda asked, cocking her head to the side.

Remus listened, then heard it.

"Nothing you can say but you can learn how to play the game. It's easy. Nothing you can make that can't be made. No one you can save that can't be saved. Nothing you can do but you can learn how to be you in time. It's easy. All you need is love. All you need is love."

They all rejoined Ted in the dining room. Kreacher stood next to him with the expression he usually wore when he was worried that he had overstepped. Remus wondered if Ted had started singing much earlier than any of them realized and Kreacher had cast his own variation of a silencing charm on him. If that was the case then Remus owed the House Elf more than an apology, he might owe him his life. There was no telling what those men might have done if they had gotten hard evidence that Ted really was in the house.

Tonks sat down next to her father. "Dad, are you all right?"

Ted shook his head. "I have to go."

"Of course you don't, we erased their memories, they have no idea what happened."

"The Ministry knows I'm here, they have ever since someone used Polyjuice to impersonate Marissa. They're going to keep coming back."

"And we'll send them away again, as many times as we need to."

"And sooner or later they're going to send Death Eaters instead of accountants! I can't put you in danger anymore."

"Your father's right, Nymphadora."

Remus glanced up at Andromeda quickly enough to see how much that simple statement cost her.

"You're taking his side?"

"It's not about sides. It's about what's necessary."

"But it's not necessary. We can defend you, Dad. Tell him, Remus."

Remus had really hoped to stay out of this discussion. To him, it fell squarely in the category of 'Not my business.' Besides, as much as he didn't like it, he agreed with Ted, and he had hoped that Tonks would figure out the reason by herself rather than needing someone else to tell her.

"We can, for a while," he said with care. "But I don't have the skills to fight multiple Death Eaters by myself."

"You're not by yourself."

"Nymphadora, you don't have to answer, but think carefully about what I am about to ask you and be honest with yourself," Andromeda said. "How well can you fight right now? How well will you be able to fight in three or four months? You heard what those men said about the consequences of getting caught shielding a Muggle-born. Do you want to risk having your baby born in Azkaban?"

Tonks drew in a great, shuddering breath and sobbed, "No." Ted took her hand. Remus gripped her shoulder. The possibility felt like a porcupine in his gut and he briefly hated Andromeda for suggesting it. He realized he would do a lot of things to prevent something like that from happening.

"I'm an Auror. That's the only thing I know how to be."

"Of course it's not," Remus murmured to her.

"But there's still the rest of the Order," Tonks protested.

"There is a much bigger fight here," Ted said. "The Order is the only organized resistance we know about. I know they would defend me if we asked, but could you really do that, Tonks? Would you really ask your friends to put themselves in danger, to jeopardize the outcome of the entire war, just to defend one person?"

Tonks could not answer. Remus squeezed her shoulder harder and she laid her free hand on top of his.

"They said four days," Tonks said after a time. "We've got four days to figure something out."

"You can have three," Ted replied.

"But the fourth day is taco Tuesday."


	9. November 29th, 1997, 1:15 am

**Chapter 9: November 29th, 1997, 1:15 am**

Andromeda lay awake a long time that night. Ted did too. Eventually, she spoke.

"I don't want you to go, Ted."

"You know I have to. And I can't go to France like the others. It doesn't help all of you if I just disappear."

"I know. Nymphadora won't like it."

"I know. Maybe she'll think of something."

"Maybe she will. But for right now…"

Ted reached out in the dark and ran his thumb over her cheekbone. Andromeda caught his hand and pulled it against her heart.

* * *

As it turned out, Nymphadora did have a plan the next morning. She must have stayed up all night thinking about it: both it and she had the slight edge of mania that comes from lack of sleep. It also said something that she waited until Ted had disappeared into his study before explaining it.

"We have to change Dad's blood status in the Ministry's records," she said. "You've been telling everyone who asks that he's a half-blood and he never registered as a Muggle-born. We just need the documents at the Ministry to match."

Two problems sprang to mind immediately. Andromeda decided to ask about the easier one first.

"They can't make it easy to just alter the records. There must be some kind of safeguards. Where are they even kept?"

"Bottom floor of the Ministry," Nymphadora replied, waving the problem away. "There's a massive vault filled with birth, death, and marriage records going back centuries."

"Then we're going to have trouble finding Ted's documents, assuming we can get to the vault at all."

"The people working there have ways of finding things. Anyway, we're not going to alter an existing document, just add something new, proof that Grandma or Grandpa Tonks was a witch or wizard. Remind me what they did?"

"Your Grandfather was an officer in the Royal Air Force. After the war he ran a shop. Your Grandmother was a seamstress."

Nymphadora mulled that over, then turned to Remus and said, "Remind me to ask Dad about Grandpa sometime." To Andromeda she said, "We should probably go with Grandma, in that case, fewer contradictory records. All we have to do is submit something that proves she was a witch, her Hogwarts letter, for instance. History actually works for us this time. We could say that the official records must have been lost during the war against Grindelwald."

"But she never got one," Andromeda said, though she thought she knew where this was going.

"I know, we'll have to forge it."

"And I suppose you know what those letters looked like back in the thirties?"

"We can find out."

Maybe they could. But there was still Andromeda's second question.

"And how are we going to submit this letter? You can't just walk into the Ministry anymore, and I expect they're fairly particular about their records vault these days."

"Yes, that's the tricky bit."

To put it mildly, Andromeda thought but did not say.

"I've done some thinking about this," Nymphadora said. "It's true none of us could submit the letter, not even you, they would suspect a forgery immediately. But Bellatrix Lestrange could."

There was that door again. Even hearing her sister's name did it. Andromeda forced herself to focus.

"Why would she do that? You're not planning to use Imperio on her, are you?"

"Actually, I wasn't, she'd break the curse in no time. Plus we would have to find her first."

"Then what do you plan to do?"

"Impersonate her." Nymphadora hesitated. "I would do it myself, I swear, but…I can't metamorphose this out of sight." She gestured to her midsection, which had developed a tidy bulge, quickly progressing toward a less tidy bulge. Andromeda would have bet money that she had tried to hide it. "There's no time to brew Polyjuice potion, even if we had the ingredients, but…you could do it without Polyjuice."

"No, I can't," Andromeda said immediately. She knew she bore a physical resemblance to Bellatrix, no less than Harry Potter himself had once almost cursed her for it, but actually trying to impersonate her? She would be found out in half a second.

"Sure you can, it's easy," said the person who had honed her mimicry skills since childhood. "The trick is to never give anyone the chance to doubt that you are who you say you are."

"By doing what? Cursing them?"

"Overwhelming them. It'll be easy with Bellatrix because she's already scary and intimidating. She's done half your work for you."

"I don't know about this, Nymphadora."

"Do you have another idea?"

Andromeda had to admit that she did not.

"Then this might be Dad's only chance, won't you at least give it a try?"

And she would, she had to try.

Remus volunteered to work on the letter. He retrieved a copy of _Hogwarts: A History_ from Ted's study and set up shop in the dining room while Andromeda and Nymphadora took over the sitting room. They started by searching the Daily Prophet for recent pictures of Bellatrix, but all they found was a long range shot that Nymphadora nevertheless said would be useful to get a sense of how she moved. Both Nymphadora and Remus had encountered Bellatrix in the flesh over the past year or two. So had Kreacher, Nymphadora noted with apparent distaste.

Nymphadora took one more glance at the picture and handed it over for Andromeda to study while she raided her mother's closet for robes they could alter, already demonstrating Bellatrix's gait herself.

Unluckily, Nymphadora had inherited none of her Muggle grandmother's skill as a seamstress, as became clear when her first attempt at altering Andromeda's robes ended up with a narrow tube of cloth attached to both shoulders rather than individual sleeves. Andromeda took over after that, allowing, with no small amount of trepidation, Nymphadora to start work on her hair.

When both hair and robes were complete, Nymphadora sent Andromeda away to change, and when she returned her daughter unexpectedly held up a mirror. The difference was so surprising that Andromeda was briefly knocked into her mental room. When she worked her way out of it, Nymphadora was cackling madly.

"Did you just cocoon for a second?"

"This isn't funny, Nymphadora."

"Sure it is, and it's definitely going to work. Even you think you're her. All right, Bellatrix always makes her eyelids really dark."

"Point your wand somewhere else and give me that mirror. You've never had to use a cosmetic spell in your life. I don't want to look like a raccoon."

"I like your attitude, but you need to get even meaner and crazier. Remember, you were in Azkaban for fourteen years and now your lord and master won't stop giving you a hard time about your disappointing extended family," Nymphadora said. "And to top it all off, when you were a teenager your little sister once drew unicorns and rainbows all over your poster of the lead singer of your favorite death metal wizard band, the one you liked to pretend to make out with."

"Is the little sister supposed to be me or Narcissa?"

"You're Bellatrix! You're no one's little sister! Besides, it doesn't matter who, because whichever one didn't do that once called you Trixie to your face. You hate them both."

"Oh, right. Mean!"

"You can't just say mean, you have to be mean! Go really red on the lips."

"All right…er…Don't tell me what to do, blood traitor!"

"That's the spirit! Now try this: 'He will rise again and will come for us, he will reward us beyond any of his other supporters! We alone were faithful! We alone tried to find him!'"

The change that came over Nymphadora when she said this was so extreme that Andromeda felt an actual prickle of fear. She wasn't sure that the door in her head would ever close again after hearing that.

"Did…did she actually say that?"

"Not to me," Nymphadora replied, back to normal again. "It was in the transcript of her Wizengamot trial. I told you she was crazy. Although she was right that time, come to think of it. Give it a try, focus on the cadence: He will rise again…"

"He will rise again," Andromeda echoed.

It took many tries before Nymphadora was satisfied with Andromeda's impersonation, although while they worked Andromeda saw Kreacher appear on the stairs, take one look at them, and quietly creep away again, which she took for a good sign.

Next they worked on movement, striding with great purpose and anger and more than a little of that crazy for the seven steps it took to cross the living room, like they not only would step right on top of anyone foolish enough to get in their way, but they would also enjoy it, as Nymphadora explained. That was how Remus found them. He must have been listening in, because he timed his appearance so they were at the opposite side of the room.

"What do you think?" Nymphadora asked when she spotted him.

"Very convincing," Remus said, looking uneasy.

"Silence, werewolf!" Andromeda snapped. She was starting to enjoy herself, just a little bit.

"Okay, right, nice work," Remus said with a visible shudder. He lifted a worn piece of parchment. "I've nearly got the letter ready. It just needs Ted's mother's name and address."

"Her name was Edith Wright, but I'll have to check with Ted about a middle name and her address growing up," Andromeda replied, starting up the stairs. Watching Remus's reaction had made her realize it was long past time that someone told Ted what was afoot.

"Diabolical," Nymphadora giggled, watching her go.

Contrary to her daughter's expectations, Andromeda knocked and announced herself before opening the door to Ted's study, but he still scrambled for his wand and exclaimed, "WHAT! Oh. Merlin, Andy!" at the sight of her.

"It's a good likeness, then?"

"I saw my life flash before my eyes," Ted said, clutching his chest. "This is the plan?"

"Part of it," Andromeda said. "For the rest I need to know your mother's full name and the address where she lived when she was eleven."

"Edith Louise Wright. I'm not sure about the address, though. Maybe it's written down…" He trailed off, eyes unfocused, then snapped back, staring hard at her. "No. Not that way."

"You don't even know the plan, it's actually not bad."

"You're going to forge records to say my mother was a witch."

"Maybe you do know the plan."

"Stop acting like Bellatrix, I can't talk to you like this."

"I'm practicing."

"You don't need to practice. Please, just sit down."

Andromeda pulled up a chair and tried not to act like Bellatrix while she did it, which was harder than she would have thought. Ted absently tapped out a rhythm on his desk while he waited and did not stop when she had seated herself.

"Is that the drum line to something?" she guessed.

Ted nodded and sang a few lines along with his fingers: "Will you still need me, will you still feed me, when I'm sixty-four?"

It was fortunate that he sang it; it prevented Andromeda from needing to answer. That would have been a blubbering affirmative.

"No matter how many times people pointed it out, I never really saw the resemblance between you and Bellatrix until today."

"I'll still need you when you're a hundred and four," Andromeda replied, suddenly wishing that she was not wearing her best approximation of Bellatrix's clothes, face, and hair.

"I'll still need you when you're two hundred and four."

"That's how you want to play this?" Andromeda asked, punching his shoulder affectionately. "In that case I'll still need you when you're infinity."

"Ah, you got me."

"What's that you're reading?"

Ted tipped the book up, showing her the cover. It was all ancient runes, the druidic variety, but Andromeda had seen it before. It was a primary source on the raising of Stonehenge. Unless she was mistaken, the book lying open on his desk was a similar piece in Egyptian hieroglyphs about the construction of the pyramids. Even now, rejected by his own society, he was trying to continue his work.

Andromeda caught his hand. It was stained with ink. "Why don't you want us to at least try this, Ted? What can it hurt?"

"To start with, based on your getup I'm guessing there's some danger to you."

"It's a risk I'm willing to take. Please, just…one more reason. I don't want to lose you just because of the danger to me."

It was the first time either of them had voiced the possibility that Ted might not come back if he had to leave. He took a long second to gather his thoughts.

"Have you wondered about all the Muggle songs I keep singing?"

"Once or twice."

He smiled at her. "I don't exactly know why it started happening. Maybe the torture just knocked that lumberjack song loose and the rest came with it, maybe having to keep saying I was a half-blood every time he called me a mudblood had something to do with it. But I do know why I haven't tried to get back out of that habit."

Andromeda squeezed his hand and waited.

"I am a Muggle-born, Andromeda! I don't want to pretend I'm not just to save myself! Just because it's inconvenient right now! I hid behind your blood status during the last war. I've been doing it again so far during this one and I can't…stand it anymore."

Ted wilted forward, elbows on knees, head in hands. Andromeda rubbed his shaking back and whispered, "I understand, I understand," until he calmed again.

When he straightened back up, Ted looked at her with red eyes and said, "I wish you didn't look like Bellatrix right now."

"Me too," Andromeda agreed. "Still…" She trailed off, thinking. They had gone to all this trouble, all but destroyed two sets of robes, put on the dark makeup, then there was the ridiculous bust line, the shoes that could kill a man if they didn't get her feet first. She had let Nymphadora fix her hair, for Merlin's sake! It would probably get stuck this way! "…must be good for something."

"Did you find the address?" Nymphadora asked when Andromeda emerged on the stairs. She and Remus had been sitting companionably on the sofa while they waited.

"Didn't look," Andromeda replied. "We're not going to do it. I'm going outside."

"Hang on," Nymphadora said, getting up using Remus's knee for leverage. "Why not, going where?"

"Your father doesn't want us to, I should let him explain. And just out."

"Doesn't want…? Dressed like that?"

"That's the idea, scum," Andromeda said, putting on Bellatrix's voice again.

"I've created a monster," Nymphadora muttered once the surprise had worn off. "I'll come with you, just give me a second to get a disguise on."

"I think not."

But Nymphadora had already changed her face and hair and pulled on Remus's cloak, which was loose enough to hide her stomach.

"I'm just going to scare some peons," Andromeda said.

"I approve, but if anyone from the Order spots you looking like that they might take prisoners first and ask questions later, and that's only if you don't resist."

"Why would I resist?"

"I dunno, but you have to admit you've really taken to acting like Bellatrix. Who knows what you might do," Nymphadora said. "Remus, could you work on getting that address out of my Dad while we're out?"

"I'll ask him, but…"

"I told you, Ted doesn't want to use your plan," Andromeda said.

"Give it time, he'll come around. Are we going?"

"Yes, all right."

"Yes, all right?" Nymphadora demanded.

Andromeda choked back a couple more 'ers' and 'ums,' tried and failed to think of something Bellatrix might say instead, and in the end just strode off toward the door.

"There you go."

Outside, they found that the war had crept much closer to home than Andromeda realized. Since the coup she had ventured a few times to Diagon Alley, but always Disapparated from the hidden alcove around the side of the house. This was the first time in months that she had actually toured her own neighborhood and the change shocked her. This was an almost entirely Muggle city, most everyone should have been unaware of the magical war in progress, and yet everywhere she looked the streets were deserted and with boarded up or broken windows, burned cars, fallen fences, and graffiti. She could have convinced herself that Muggles were responsible, or at least tried to, but the most common graffiti was of the Dark Mark.

"Did you know about any of this?" Andromeda whispered as they walked past a looted store. It sold eclec…electin…televisions and computers. Why would that interest Death Eaters?

Nymphadora shook her head. Always the consummate performer, her expression did not change, but something about the way she was probing at a snaggletooth told Andromeda that she would rather be reacting with fury, or disgust, or just staring around with wide-eyed astonishment. Andromeda felt rather the same.

They heard a cry from somewhere nearby, followed by laughter in separate voices. Andromeda started toward the sounds at a trot, but Nymphadora caught her arm before she made it two paces.

"Stride, don't run. You're Bellatrix."

Andromeda slowed down by only a fraction. Today she had the ability to stop cruelty when she saw it. She was not going to waste time worrying about Bellatrix's decorum.

They came upon the disturbance soon enough. Two men had a woman cornered in an alley and they were shooting sparks at her, sometimes letting them erupt into flames near her feet, or on them.

"What are you doing!" Andromeda shouted.

The two men turned. "Madam Lestrange," one of them said. The woman sobbed.

At that moment Andromeda realized she had forgotten to use Bellatrix's voice. Her own must have been close enough.

"I asked you what you're doing!"

"We're teaching this animal to respect her masters."

"I see," Andromeda said. "And what did she do to deserve this lesson?"

"She bumped into me," the second man said.

"And I suppose it serves the Dark Lord's purpose to antagonize every clumsy Muggle you find?"

"Er…Doesn't it?"

"No, you fool!" Andromeda shouted at him. "Muggles are a distraction. Our enemy is the Order of the Phoenix! You should be trying to find them!"

"But Dolohov said…"

"Who scares you more, me or Dolohov? Or perhaps I should summon the Dark Lord himself, let him weigh in on the matter?" Andromeda reached for her sleeve.

"Allow me, Madam!" Nymphadora burst in immediately.

"No, no, that's not necessary," the first man said, cringing. "We'll be on our way. Off to find that Order, right Blake?"

"Exactly! The Order must be around here somewhere."

They both slunk out of the alley, bowing and scraping at Andromeda.

"That was fun," Andromeda said once they were out of earshot.

"I forgot to give you a Dark Mark," Nymphadora said, rolling up Andromeda's sleeve and pointing her wand at Andromeda's forearm.

"That's going to come off, right?" Andromeda asked, inspecting the fearsome tattoo.

That was as far as they got before the woman broke out of her shock and cried, "Who are you?"

"We're friends, you're safe now," Andromeda assured her, taking her hand and helping her out of the alley.

"Who were they?"

"Dark wizards," Nymphadora supplied. Andromeda supposed they were already about as far past the Statute of Secrecy as they could get.

"What?"

"I know, it's a lot to take in," Andromeda said.

"What's going on? Why has everything gone to hell?"

"That's really too much to get into right now," Nymphadora said. "What's your name?"

"Mabel…Perkins."

"Do you live around here, Mabel?"

"A couple blocks from here." She had to look around for a long while before getting her bearings back and selecting the right direction.

They walked Mabel back to her apartment, discussing precautions she could take when she had to venture outside, made sure she had enough food for the time being, and cast protective wards over the whole building. They had five more similar encounters before the sky began to grow dark and they decided it was too risky to continue their wanderings. They never even made it outside their section of the city, but cast wards on every building they passed on their meandering way back home.

Back at their own doorstep, Nymphadora exchanged passwords with Remus and he allowed them back into the safety of their own well protected house. Andromeda ached to think of all the vulnerable Muggles around them, not even armed with a basic understanding of what had happened to the world. Suddenly feeling immensely weary, Andromeda excused herself to take off her disguise. Nymphadora, of course, had already shed hers.

As Andromeda discovered when she returned downstairs, mercifully free of Bellatrix's robes, makeup, hair, and tattoo, Remus had not been successful in extracting the address where Ted's mother grew up. Instead, it seemed that the two of them had spent their afternoon hard at work on a document that looked half letter, half research paper. In fact, their project was so involved that they had moved from Ted's study to the dining room table, using its wider surface to spread out all their books. Nymphadora sat next to Remus with the first page of the letter in one hand and the pamphlet on Muggle-borns they had gotten the first full day of the coup in the other, her eyes darting back and forth between them.

"You really think you can disprove every point they make about Muggle-borns?" she asked when she had finished reading. Andromeda took both sets of paper from her daughter and looked them over herself.

"We can and we have," Ted replied with the bleary, single minded enthusiasm he often acquired towards the end of involved projects. "It's easy when their core argument is flawed."

"Here," Remus said, pulling out a page and handing it over. He was writing out clean copies of the essay even as Ted continued scribbling at the conclusion.

Nymphadora lifted the parchment, found the correct section, and read aloud: "'The assertion that Muggle-borns must have stolen their magical abilities from true witches and wizards is based on the hypothesis that magical ability can in fact be transferred, and that there is such a thing as a true witch or wizard, or, indeed, a true Muggle. In fact, neither of these assumptions is true. The historical record is rife with examples of inept wizards, of Muggles with enough talent in their fields to cause suspicion even among their magical contemporaries, and of failed experiments both brilliant and horrific that have attempted to find out what magic is made of. The historical record is also clear on one other matter: humanity in its current form predates the use of magic. Individuals with the ability to use magic arose spontaneously more than one hundred millennia after the dawn of man. We are all Muggle-borns.'"

"What are you going to do with this?" Andromeda asked.

"Once I'm away from you three I'm going to send one copy to the Minister, one to the _Daily Prophet_ , and one to _The Quibbler_ ," Ted replied.

"That'll cause a stir," Nymphadora said. "Then why is Remus making four copies?"

"The fourth you can keep. If you want," he added with unneeded modesty.

Nymphadora visibly drooped at the return of that subject. "I wish you didn't have go to."

Ted set down his quill.

"I'd like to tell you a story about my mother," he said, looking at each of them in turn. "She lived in London in the 1930's and 40's. Her parents died in an accident when she was a teenager and the aunt who took her in considered her little more than a boarder, so she had to more or less provide for herself after that. She went to work in a linen factory. They manufactured huge bolts of cloth, dyed them, cut them to size, hemmed the edges, and sent them off to the stores and hotels in the city. Eventually, they had to change to making thicker fabric for the uniforms for the men fighting in World War II.

"It was difficult and dangerous and she and the other women were forced to work long hours for little pay. She told me how easy it was to lose focus for a second and have a finger or entire hand taken by one of the huge machines. More than once someone got her hair caught and her scalp ripped off. In these cases the managers always seemed more worried about any blood that might get on the fabric than the well-being of the injured woman. My mother worked there for ten years, from when she was fifteen to when she was twenty five, and it cost her most of her hearing in one ear.

"It's a little difficult to say if she quit, got fired, or her job just disappeared, because on the last day she ever worked in that factory there was a fire and it all burned down. By then she had gained enough seniority to get one of the better tasks, sewing edges on the huge bolts of cloth and had a workstation near the single door so that if the owner of the company ever came to visit he would see the most accomplished workers and a nearly finished product first.

"The fire started in a machine at the other end of the factory. By the time most people realized anything was wrong it was too late to put it out, the store of cloth and raw thread had caught. Everyone started running for the exit as the temperature increased, but there were too many people to get through the door at once and it caused a jam. And it didn't help matters that the managers forced their ways to the front of the line, actually shoving the women who worked for them to the floor.

"As I said, my mother's workstation was one of the closest to the door; she could have been one of the first out of the building. Instead, she ran toward the fire, looking for anyone who was stuck or hurt or lost in the smoke. She found ten of them. She had to make six trips back into the building, and did it even after learning how hot the fire was, even though her skirt started to smolder and threatened to catch, even though her shoes started to melt on her feet, even though it seemed like the air was on fire because of all the floating specs of cloth. She saved ten people, every single one that needed saving. No one died in that fire because of her."

Ted paused and took a sip of tea. Everyone glanced around at each other in the silence, not quite sure what to say.

"People have done braver things," Ted continued. "My mother said herself that she has done braver things, although maybe none of them had as much flair. But that was the thing that taught her she could be brave, and she measured the rest of her life by it.

"Now, running into a burning building was by all accounts a stupid, courageous, foolish, self-sacrificing thing to do. But if she was actually a witch then it was none of those things. You don't need bravery to run into a burning building if you know you can't be hurt. If she was a witch, then she was just doing a nice thing for the poor Muggles. But she was a Muggle, she knew she could be hurt, she knew she could be killed, and she did it anyway.

"Even though we all know the real story, I am not going to let anyone's official record take that away from her."

"I had no idea," Nymphadora said. "I'm sorry. I wish I could have met her."

"She would have liked you," Ted replied.

"We need a new plan, then."

"No," Ted said. "No more plans. My mother was a Muggle, my father was a Muggle. I am a Muggle-born wizard. I won't pretend to be something I'm not."

"All right," Nymphadora said. "No more plans, but…I didn't want to be the one to point this out, but if you just disappear like the others…"

"The Ministry will think you three helped and keep coming after you, maybe even destroy the Order's ability to get Muggle-borns out of the country," Ted finished for her and Andromeda could see the relief and regret written on her daughter's face. "I'm not going to disappear."

"Then where are you going to go?" Remus asked.

"I'll find a way to make a nuisance of myself from time to time," Ted replied, "make it clear that you three aren't helping me, and in between I'll find a place to hide until this blows over."

Andromeda tried not to think it quaint that he thought this situation could still 'blow over.' He had not seen what she saw outside that day.

"I can't let you go-"

"Still, Nymphadora?" Andromeda burst out, surprising herself a little. "I know you take being a metamorphmagus on the chin sometimes, yet you have never worn your hair a normal color for a day in your life, if you could help it. Who do you think taught you to stand up for yourself like that? Why do you think this is any different?"

Nymphadora waited for her to finish, then began again.

"I can't let you go without teaching you a few ways to defend yourself."

"Oh."

"That would be great, Tonks. Thank you," Ted said. "After dinner? I'm nearly finished with this letter."

"All right, just…leave plenty of time. It's dangerous out there, and I want you to come back."

"I will. I want to meet my grandchild."

In the end they all stayed together the entire next day, practicing jinxes and wards, trading tips and stories, packing a bag for Ted, and generally enjoying each other's company for the last time until they knew not when. Taco Tuesday was moved up to Monday afternoon and, far sooner than Andromeda would have ever believed, they were all standing at the door exchanging farewells and affections.

Remus held out a hand, but Ted went for the hug instead, saying, "I'm glad to have met you" into Remus's shoulder.

He held Nymphadora for a long time, kissed her forehead, and paid a little extra attention to her protruding stomach. "I am so proud of you," he said to her.

Then he moved on to Andromeda.

"Keep them safe," he said into her hair as they embraced.

"Look out for yourself," she replied.

"I love you."

"I love you, too."

They kissed, then Ted reached to pick up his bag and nearly tripped over Kreacher.

"Mister Ted goes to France now?" he asked hopefully.

They had forgotten to explain the intricacies of the situation to the little House Elf.

"Oh, no, I'm sorry Kreacher," Ted replied, getting down on one knee to meet the House Elf's eyes. "I can't go to France."

Kreacher thought that over. "Spain?"

"I have to stay in England."

"But England is dangerous for Mister Ted." Tears leaked from his huge eyes.

"I know, but it's the only way," Ted replied.

"Mister Ted has to stay in danger because Kreacher opened the door?"

"Oh! No, Kreacher, not at all. This isn't your fault!" Ted put a hand on Kreacher's thin arm. "The only person to blame for this is You-Know-Who. You have been a good friend to me, and I hope you will keep taking Muggle-borns out of the country even when I'm not here."

"Kreacher will."

"Thank you."

"Master Harry is in danger too."

"If I see him, I'll pass along your regards."

"Now Kreacher cannot take care of Master Harry or Mister Ted."

"We'll come back."

Ted straightened up again and pulled open the door.

"Things will get better," he said, then left.


	10. Regroup

**Chapter 10: Regroup**

Despite hardly getting any sleep the past few days, Tonks still found it impossible to drift off the night her father went on the run. Her thoughts kept drifting between where Ted might be and what he might be doing, how and when they would hear from him, what state he might be in when they did, and her mother, alone in the next room. Andromeda had disappeared to her bedroom immediately after Ted left and not spoken a word to anyone since, although Tonks had knocked on the door several times before Remus finally advised her to leave her mother alone for the night.

Tonks sighed and rolled over on her other side. Getting comfortable was growing difficult these days; she could not imagine what it would be like in a few months. Remus reached out and found her hand.

"Sorry, did I wake you up?" Tonks whispered.

"No, I was awake," Remus replied.

"I hope he's all right," Tonks said.

"He's smart, he learned what you taught him," Remus said. "And if that doesn't work, he'll definitely be able to outthink any Snatcher he comes across."

"That's true." Tonks actually smiled a little, thinking about it. She sat up and leaned against the headboard. Remus did the same. "Can you imagine? Some Snatcher tries to arrest him and Dad insists on being read his rights first? That might not work out like it's supposed to, actually." Less funny, now.

Remus must have detected the change in her mood.

"There's a game Sirius and I used to play sometimes," he said. "Which Death Eater do you think you deserve to take out?"

"This is a game? Sounds like the morning meetings in the Auror office. We used to have fights over Bellatrix. Once it almost came to wands."

"Never said it was a fun game."

"Okay." Tonks thought about it for a moment. "I assume the Big Kahuna isn't an option?"

"Big Kahuna, that's a good one, you should suggest it to Lee."

"I already did. Lee was on board but Kingsley refused. His sense of humor is a bit more subtle than that."

"Maybe he had a point, try and imagine Kingsley saying 'Big Kahuna.'"

Tonks did, and snorted.

"I see what you mean, gives the guy more gravitas than he deserves."

"Anyway," Remus said. "You can pick You-Know-Who, but you'll have to explain why you deserve to take him out more than Harry does."

"Ah, well obviously that can't be done," Tonks replied. "Who else? There was a time when I wouldn't have minded giving Lucius Malfoy a piece of my mind, but recently…"

Even thought it was pitch dark in the room, Tonks could feel Remus staring at her when he asked, "Recently what?"

"I think he's in over his head. All three of them, actually, Lucius, Narcissa, and Draco."

"We're talking about Draco Malfoy, right? The one who let Death Eaters, including Fenrir Greyback, into Hogwarts and tried to kill Dumbledore?"

"The very same. But Harry said he didn't think Draco would have actually done it. That only happened because Snape showed up. I've met Draco, he talks a big game but I don't he actually has it in him. In over his head."

"Agree to disagree there," Remus replied.

"Hey, what's Draco's Boggart?" Tonks asked eagerly.

"Not a chance. Student teacher privilege."

"Come on, I have to know. And it's not like it's a secret, his whole class must have seen it."

"Then ask one of them," Remus said. "Or take a guess, if you know him so well."

"Fine. And I'm calling dibs on Bellatrix," Tonks finally decided, "but if Neville Longbottom decides he wants her I'll settle for watching his back during the fight. You?"

"Sirius and I used to argue about who should get the first crack at Peter," Remus said. "He usually had the edge because of the whole twelve years in Azkaban thing, but I guess it's my responsibility now. Though Snape's a close second."

"Not Greyback?"

Remus shifted slightly. "Greyback's complicated. He has to go, but…" Tonks felt him shrug.

"I'll get him for you, if you want."

"I'd rather you stay as far from his as possible, actually," Remus said.

"Okay," Tonks replied. "In that case, you might have to fight the rest of the Order over Snape, but I don't think anyone would argue with you about Pettigrew. Sometimes it almost sounds like you take his continued existence personally. Even if you had managed to stop him escaping, I still think that-"

Remus was there immediately with a sharp poke.

"I wasn't gonna say it," Tonks grumbled. He had missed her arm in the dark and caught mostly boob instead. Probably and accident…well, maybe an accident…but the whole area was more tender than it had been since she was a teenager. "I hope you're planning to kiss it better," she added, just in case he was still wondering why he had encountered more flesh than expected.

A short while later, they got back to talking.

"I'm serious," Tonks said, continuing where she had left off. "You-Know-Who would have found a way to come back with or without Pettigrew."

"Maybe so, but he's done so much more damage than that. Looking back, it's hard to believe how completely we – James, Sirius, and I – misjudged him. Hell, how completely the Sorting Hat misjudged him."

"It's possible to be brave about the wrong thing, you know," Tonks said. "It must have taken courage to turn against his friends like he did."

"I don't like to think of it like that."

"Well, that's why you should stick with us Hufflepuffs. You can always trust a Hufflepuff."

"I dunno, I'm hearing a lot of sympathy for the other side out of you."

"Hey, that's not sympathy, just recognition that the other side has a perspective."

"Semantics."

"I know you're joking, but you should really go to sleep before I throttle you."

"Do you think you'll be able to sleep now?" Remus asked, lying back down.

"It's worth a try, at least." She settled herself into the crook of his shoulder. Sleep did not come easily, but it did come.

* * *

"Mum?" Tonks called through the closed door. It was mid-morning and her mother had still not appeared.

No answer. She had decided to send Mark and Brittany home after they had waited half an hour for their teacher, but she was beginning to wonder if that had been a mistake. Maybe they could have coaxed her out.

"I brought you breakfast."

Still nothing.

"You're starting to worry me, Mum, so if you don't open up in about thirty seconds I'm going to come in anyway. I promise I know more ways to unlock a door than you know how to lock one, so…I hope you're decent, basically."

Andromeda opened the door just as Tonks go to twenty five. She looked every bit as put together as usual.

"I got nervous when you mentioned breakfast," she said, taking the tray. "Thought I might be able to wait you out."

"Hilarious," Tonks said, following her into the room, "but Remus made it."

"Must be safe, then."

"He used himself as a test case," Tonks confirmed, taking a seat on the bed. Half of it was disheveled, the other half still more or less made up. The combination was hard to look at. "You sort of disappeared yesterday, are you all right?"

For a moment it looked like she might lie, but instead she said, "It was a rough night. I keep wondering where he is, what he's doing, is he in danger…"

"I do too. I gave your class the day off."

Andromeda flinched and would have upset her tray if not for Tonks's quick wand work.

"I lost track of the time."

"Remus and I explained. They understood."

Andromeda sighed and said, "His pillow still smells like him."

Tonks leaned over to check for herself. It was true.

"I keep catching myself thinking that I should seal it up somehow," Andromeda said. "To preserve the scent, you know. But then I realize that means I'm already thinking he won't…"

"He will come back," Tonks said. "But you should do whatever you want with the pillow."

Andromeda sat down on the bed next to Tonks, set the tray of food on her knees, and pulled a piece off one of the scones. "There's oatmeal in it?"

"There wasn't enough flour left," Tonks said. "Other than that, Remus said that this is the breakfast his mother used to make him when he was sad as a kid."

"It's good. Sad like after the full moon?"

"Other than that, actually. Around the full moon it's usually as much meat as he can get his hands on."

"We're lucky Fred and George got that Wolfsbane sorted out, then," Andromeda said. "Supplies are getting harder to come by."

"At least we've got the garden."

"Maybe I'll go out and work on that today," Andromeda said, like she had only just remembered that the garden existed.

"Good, I'll leave you alone, but don't just shut yourself up in here."

* * *

Even though the house was only missing one person it felt disproportionately empty to Tonks, and it only became more so as the days and weeks passed with no word from Ted. His letter appeared in _The Quibbler_ only a week after he left, though not the _Daily Prophet_ , so he must have made it at least as far as the post office. But after that…

The sofa sank under someone else's weight and Tonks looked up to find Remus sitting next to her.

"Anything new with the Order?" she asked, turning the page in her magazine. He had been exchanging Patronuses with Kingsley when she had to leave to take up sentry duty for Andromeda's class. They were taking final exams before winter vacation.

"Nothing much," Remus replied. "The Muggle-born hearings have all but stopped, but that seems to be because the Ministry has finally gotten to all of them. There's still no sign of Harry, Ron, and Hermione. Everyone's mostly on standby until the students are released from Hogwarts and we can find out what's been going on there."

"Still no word from McGonagall?"

Remus shook his head. "I argued with Kingsley, but he's adamant that we shouldn't try and contact her ourselves. Other than that, Snatchers have stepped up their patrols, apparently."

"Damn, but expected." That only increased the danger to Ted, not that he had been out of danger since leaving.

"Anything new in _The Quibbler_?"

"This is the old one, hang on," Tonks replied. The latest edition was a few feet away on the coffee table. Leaning far enough to reach it took some work; Remus saw her intention and passed the magazine to her before she could get there, giving her stomach a pat on the way – still so tentative there. Tonks sat back found the page that had caught her attention. "Have you ever heard of a creature called an Uruk-hai?"

"Yes?"

"Well someone thinks that You-Know-Who is planning to use them to hunt down the Order." Tonks lifted the magazine to show him the fearsome illustration.

"I'd be worried if they weren't fictional," Remus said.

"Fictional?"

"From _The Lord of the Rings_ ," Remus confirmed.

"For Merlin's sake, Lovegood," Tonks muttered, tossing _The Quibbler_ back on the table. "I thought they sounded familiar."

"You were reading your Dad's letter again, then?" He nodded to the earlier edition of the magazine still in her hand.

No use denying it.

"You must have it memorized better than I do by now," Remus said, "and I wrote it out four times."

"Nah, I just like to hear his voice in my head," Tonks replied.

"I'll bet you can hear it pretty well. 'Meanwhile, their contemporaries, the ancient Rapa Nui…'" Remus quoted.

…constructed their many famous Ahu on Easter Island through extensive use of their own independently developed skills and talents in stonework magic, according to their petroglyphs.

The words came to mind unintentionally, it actually took willpower to not say them aloud. Tonks glared at Remus. No doubt he had chosen one of the densest sections of the essay on purpose to prove his point, and she didn't want to give him the satisfaction.

"I have read it a few times," she eventually admitted instead.

Remus wrapped an arm around her shoulders and asked, "Are you all right?"

"Not really. I thought we would have heard from him by now. He knows how to send a Patronus."

Remus squeezed her a little tighter and said, "He's probably just worried that he'll send it at the wrong time and get us in trouble. If he really needs help, he'll ask."

"But if they do catch him, how will we even find out about it?" Tonks persisted. "He's not Harry, the Ministry and the _Prophet_ wouldn't care enough to make news out of it. Maybe if he hadn't sent this letter anonymously, but…"

"Shh, don't think like that," Remus said. "Kingsley knows to keep an ear open. We're doing all we can."

Tonks burst to her feet and exclaimed, "Are we? Because most days it seems like we barely even know what's going on outside! There are dark witches and wizards walking around with impunity and I can barely even reach the coffee table!"

"Nymphadora!"

"Sorry! Mum!" Sorry for worrying loudly enough to disrupt her class. Certainly their final exams were more important than trying to find a way to protect those who didn't know how to hide as well as the Tonkses could.

"Why are you sad, Ms. Tonks?" Mark asked from Andromeda's elbow.

Tonks scrubbed at her cheeks with irritation and replied, "I used to be able to help people."

"I thought you were helping us," Brittany said.

"That's different," Tonks replied.

Something silent must have passed between Remus and Andromeda, because he took her elbow and said, "Let's talk upstairs."

Tonks shrugged off his arm but followed him up to their room anyway.

"I know waiting passively isn't your style," Remus said after closing the door. "What can I do to help?"

"I need something to do. Please just give me something to do."

* * *

Remus promised to try, but once Tonks calmed down enough to think again, even she knew that their options were limited. She spent most of the weekend in her Dad's study, enough time to worry Remus and her mother, but she was just reading _The Three Musketeers_. And trying not to lose her mind. When Monday dawned with Andromeda's class on their winter vacation, however, Tonks started feeling penned in again and by lunch she was having trouble standing it and decided she needed a change in scenery.

She elected to pay a visit to Molly, who, she realized, must often feel alone and worried with Ginny at Hogwarts, Arthur at work, Ron on the lam with Harry, and the rest of her children moved away. Therefore, it was a little surprising to find Molly wearing a complicated expression, but at least partly beaming at her when she opened the door to let Tonks inside, though she quickly traced her host's improved state of mind to its source.

"Ginny! You're…" Tonks suddenly got a very unexpected insight into her own mind when she had to cut herself off before saying 'alive.' "…back!"

"Got here a few days ago. Winter vacation," Ginny replied, getting up from the table. Her movements were stiff and careful, and, suspecting hidden injuries, Tonks took special care when they traded hugs. "Look at you!" Ginny exclaimed when they broke apart.

"I know," Tonks replied, suffering Ginny to inspect her stomach for a few seconds before waving her off. "How's school?"

"Ginny was just telling me about Muggle Studies," Molly said, inviting Tonks to sit down.

"I didn't know you were taking Muggle Studies," Tonks said.

"It's required now and it's awful," Ginny replied. "The things they say…can't we talk about something happy? What about Ron coming back?"

"Wait, you've seen Ron?" Tonks demanded. "When? Where?"

"He just turned up here, out of the blue, the same day Ginny got back from Hogwarts," Molly explained.

"Harry and Hermione weren't with him?"

Molly shook her head. "He says they're fine, but it seems he and Harry had a falling out."

"'Fine' might be relative," Ginny supplemented. "Ron looked awful, starved and pale, he had this huge scar on his arm, half his fingernails were missing… Mum fixed that up a little better, but the rest of him…"

"I can't believe it," Tonks said. "What'd they fight over?"

"He wouldn't say, it had something to do with their mission from Dumbledore," Molly replied. "But he did also mention feeling like he needed to make sure the rest of us were all right. While I appreciate that…"

"We told him pretty specifically what we think about him abandoning Harry and Hermione in the middle of who knows where," Ginny continued.

"He's been hiding out at Bill and Fleur's ever since," Molly finished.

"Well, I think you can rely on Fleur not to hold back her opinion," Tonks said, "although she tends to switch to French when she really gets going. That can actually be scarier, though, your imagination fills in the gaps."

"I heard you were on the receiving end of that yourself," Molly said.

"She called me a spotted toad, several times," Tonks said. She had finally gotten a translation. "But I'd thought she was saying something much worse, so…" She trailed off with a shrug.

"Well, he says he doesn't know how to find Harry and Hermione again now that he's left them," Ginny said, "so lecturing him won't change anything, but I do plan to continue that anyway when we go back to Hogwarts. Although it honestly might be useful to have him around there."

"More's gone wrong than just Muggle Studies?" Tonks guessed.

"Everything's gone wrong," Ginny said. "I thought it was bad in my fourth year when Umbridge was around, but that was nothing compared to this. If it weren't for Hagrid…I've started getting detention on purpose just to get out of the castle and go into the Forbidden Forest with him."

"Oh, be careful, Ginny," Molly said. "If they think you're enjoying it…"

"I know, I know. Torture chamber, thumb screws, et cetera."

"Please don't joke."

Tonks did not think Ginny was joking.

"Tonks, can I talk to you in my room for a minute?" Ginny asked.

"Oh…all right?" What didn't she want her mother to hear?

"I've got a question that I'd be embarrassed to ask in front of my Mum."

That did not sound promising.

"Really, Ginny, you know you can say anything to me."

"Please, Mum, aside from Fleur, Tonks is the closest thing I have to a big sister, and Fleur and I aren't that close. Besides, if I go to Shell Cottage I'll probably just start yelling at Ron again."

Molly waved them on their way. Feeling honored, Tonks stood, followed Ginny up to her room, and waited until Ginny had closed the door before speaking.

"Listen, I'm touched that you think of me as an older sister, but I have to warn you, if this is about baby stuff you're going to have to keep it short. It feels like that's about ninety percent of what people talk to me about these days."

"It's not," Ginny replied. "I just said that so Mum wouldn't try and listen in. Congratulations, though."

"Thank you. What's up?"

"There's a rebellion at Hogwarts."

"That's what I like to hear!" Tonks exclaimed, holding out her hand. Ginny slapped it.

"Neville started it," Ginny explained. "At first it was just him, Luna, and me, but more members of Dumbledore's Army have been joining in. It's not much, really, all we can do is help each other stand up to the Death Eaters they installed as teachers, or hide people when the Carrows start looking to punish them."

"That's fantastic! How can I help?"

"Well, Harry's the only one who knew anything about strategy. Neville's stepped in and he's doing his best, but I can tell it doesn't come naturally to him, and the consequences for messing up are horrible. He's taken twice the punishments he should have and no one seems to be able to spot what we should do differently until it's too late. We need an advisor, or a general, or something like that, and you're an Auror, you fight dark wizards all the time. You could tell us what to do to start making a real difference."

"General Tonks. I do like the sound of that. Okay, give me an example of an operation gone wrong."

"Well, just recently the Carrows decided to punish the entire school, besides the Slytherins, of course, by putting us on starvation rations for a week. Some people really started having trouble. Harry told me about Dobby and I knew he would help us if we could find him, but he wouldn't or couldn't come when we called. We decided to visit the kitchens instead, but the entrance wasn't where it used to be. We got ambushed, earned a long walk in the woods."

"Is that where you got your ribs done?" Tonks asked.

Ginny flinched. "No, that was because we broke into Snape's office and stole the Sword of Gryffindor. Almost got away with it, too. Anyway, we've already learned not to try that again."

Tonks gave her a stern look but said, "All right, one thing at a time. They knew you would go for the kitchens…"

"…because they took away the food," Ginny finished. "That seems obvious now, but what could we have done instead? People were passing out in class."

"Go after a less obvious place where you know there is food, like the teacher's lounge or the Slytherin common room. And this is Hogwarts, so don't assume you know where something is just because it was there before, although it usually has to be nearby. Make your own entrances if you have to. And always post lookouts and have a back way out so you can't get ambushed. Who has the Marauder's Map?"

If Ginny was surprised that Tonks knew about that she didn't show it. "Harry has it."

Maybe Tonks could do something about that. "Make friends with the portraits and ghosts, they can do recon for you. Be careful though, some can't be trusted, and some are just blabbermouths."

"This is good, but we really need information like that when we are about to try something new," Ginny said.

"I'd love to hear your ideas about that, because I don't think the post or Floo network is going to work in this case. And there's really no blending in as a student for me right now."

"How about these?" Ginny asked, pulling something from her pocket.

"A couple of Galleons?"

"They're fake. Hermione made them," Ginny explained. She inspected both carefully and held one up. "If you engrave something in this one the other and a bunch more like it will get warm for a minute and show the message. Neville, Luna, and a few others have copies of the receiver coin, but I had to knick the transmitter off Harry when he was here over the summer."

"I can probably make them work both ways," Tonks said, taking the coins from Ginny and sitting down to inspect them.

Since she already had an idea what charm Hermione might have used originally it was a simple matter to confirm her hypothesis and replicate it going the other direction. The trickier part was making sure that both coins didn't get into a feedback loop and scratch holes through themselves the moment anyone tried to send a message, but Tonks managed to solve that by making them only transmit on one side and receive on the other. That was not as covert as Hermione's original solution with the edges, so she also added a spell so that the messages would be wiped clear if anyone pressed a finger to one of the faces for more than a few seconds. At Ginny's suggestion, she left the original transmitter with the ability to send messages scratched into its edges to all the other coins.

They tested out the new features from opposite sides of Ginny's room and found them satisfactory, so Tonks slipped the receiver copy into her pocket and taught Ginny how to modify the other ones belonging to people at Hogwarts.

Before they headed downstairs again, Tonks called Ginny back.

"Can I be your big sister again for a second?"

"Sure," she replied.

"Watch out for yourself and your crew out there. Pick your battles. If you make too much trouble the punishment will be worse than a night in the forest. You can't help anyone if you're always laid up in the Hospital Wing."

"I already have six older brothers. I don't need another person to tell me that."

"Also, it's great that you're such a bad ass. Keep it up."

"Thanks."

"Try and find a back door out of Hogwarts, just in case."

"Yes, General Tonks."

"I expect great things from you, soldier."

When they got back downstairs, Molly caught Tonks's eye and asked quietly, "Everything all right?"

"Fine, everything's fine," Tonks assured her.

"Oh!" Molly exclaimed. "I meant to ask right away. Won't you, Remus, and your parents join us for Christmas? Everyone's going to be here, Ron included, if he's willing to show his face."

"I'd love to, and I'll pass the invitation to Remus and my Mum," Tonks replied. "But my Dad…the Ministry was on to him, he had to make a run for it."

"Oh, I'm so sorry, so is he in France now, or…?"

"He had to stay in England, to take some of the heat off the rest of us for shielding him. I don't know where, but he probably has to move around a lot."

"Well, we'll save a place for him all the same," Molly decided. "You never know."

"I guess that's true. I should head back. It was good seeing you, Molly. Keep in touch, Ginny."

Remus seemed distracted when he opened the door and let Tonks back inside and he hurried immediately back to the living room while she locked up.

"I've got an assignment for you," she said, joining him. Almost all his attention was on the empty space in front of him.

"I've got one for you," he replied. "Let's swap."

"Ginny needs a copy of the Marauder's Map."

"Really? I need you to accompany me to Hogsmeade."

A moment later a Patronus in the shape of a goat flashed in front of them, said, "Alley on the north side, soon as you can," and disappeared. Remus sent a return message and turned to look at her.

"Who's Patronus was that?" Tonks asked.

"Aberforth Dumbledore's."

She should have known. "What does he need?"

"He's got Ambrosius Flume, from Honeydukes, locked up in the cellar of the Hog's Head. Thinks he's under the Imperius Curse."

"Don't take this the wrong way, but I hope he's right, locking a guy up in his cellar."

"I know what you mean. He said he tried all the ways to break the curse from the outside that he knows and nothing's worked yet. Aurors have more methods, right?"

"We do, but they get messy in a hurry. Hopefully it won't come to that. What do Death Eaters want with a candy seller?"

"Well, there is a tunnel between Hogwarts and his shop."

"Is that so?" Tonks filed that away for later use. "Let me just tell my Mum where we're going."

"She's in the garden."

So was Kreacher, Tonks was a little surprised to discover. He knelt, tending to a huge patch of marigolds, looking happier than Tonks had ever seen him. She relayed her message to her mother, who said she would listen for the door, and stepped back inside.

"Why does Ginny need a copy of the Marauder's Map?" Remus asked.

"So she and the other rebels at Hogwarts won't get caught so often when they're trying to do things like smuggle food to starving students. Do you remember how to make it?"

"I think I remember most of the spells we used, but all the details about where the rooms are located, the spells needed to open certain passageways, that's a little harder. We had to put those in by hand."

"Well, first things first, I guess. You ready?"

"Let's go."

They stepped outside into the chilly afternoon of southern England in December and Apparated to the deep freeze of northern Scotland. Tonks had not been fully prepared for the change in temperature, but fortunately Aberforth was waiting at the side door of his pub and let them inside immediately.

"He's downstairs," Aberforth said without preamble while they were still kicking the snow off their shoes. He led the way to the cellar door immediately, which was probably for the best. After the shock of the cold, Tonks was starting to wish she could ask for a Firewhiskey, or at least a butterbeer, and she was not quite sure what she might do to Remus if he followed through on a similar impulse.

Once downstairs, the three of them stood against the wall. Flume did not acknowledge them, just stood idly for a minute then mimed taking money from a customer and putting it in a register. Next, he turned, worked his way out from behind an invisible counter, picked up a nonexistent box, stumbled over the edge of a very much existent barrel, and pantomimed going down a flight of stairs, his descent hidden behind an overturned table. He reappeared a minute later with something else in an invisible sack slung over his shoulder. He distributed the contents among a few invisible cases before returning back behind his counter.

"He's been doing this all day in his shop, and for the past hour down here," Aberforth explained. "I put the table there myself."

"But you didn't move the barrel?" Remus asked when Flume tripped over it again.

Aberforth shrugged.

"I agree that this is probably Imperius," Tonks said, "strong, but sloppily done, with no instructions for contingencies. Either that or someone really needs to work on their Confundus charm. Did he lash out or anything when you tried to break through before?"

"Barely even got his attention," Aberforth replied.

"All right, well, look sharp," Tonks said, raising her wand. She gave it a flick. Flume's next step hitched slightly, but he shook it off and continued.

"Ambrosius Flume! Listen to me!" Tonks shouted, waving her wand again. The effect was hardly any better.

She tried everything in her arsenal, sometimes calling in Remus and Aberforth for extra firepower, but nothing worked. Finally, she had only one last option. She didn't like it very much.

"I have to put Imperius on him myself," she said, tapping her wand against her off hand. "If that doesn't break the original curse I'll have to do it for him, then release him from mine."

"Have you done this before?" Remus asked.

"No," Tonks admitted. "I can shake Imperius off myself, but…I take it Kingsley was busy, do you want to wait for him?"

"I want my cellar back," Aberforth replied.

"All right then." Tonks lifted her wand. "Imperio."

She felt the tendrils of control in Flume's mind immediately, and she also felt the trap. Flume raced for her at unexpected speed. He was three paces away when she cut the line controlling him, two when she used her own curse to command him to stop, but he had too much momentum. Remus tried to pull her out of the way, but not quite quick enough. Flume crushed her against the wall. Her head hit stone but she felt the impact most in her stomach. Aberforth pulled the staggering Flume away.

"Eragh," Tonks moaned when she was free, bending over at the waist.

"Are you all right?" Remus asked with panic in his voice, holding her shoulders and leaning down to look in her eyes.

"Yeah…" she had to break off for breath. He'd knocked the wind out of her too. "I'm okay." She touched her stomach. Still attached. "Lots of padding on that guy." Probably she would have a bump on her head too. Cautiously, she straightened up. "I'm okay. How's Flume?"

"Footsore but back to normal, I think," Aberforth reported.

"I'm sorry," Remus said, pulling her into a hug, rocking her back and forth. "It happened so fast. I don't know why I didn't think of a shield charm."

"It's fine," Tonks said into his chest. "Nothi-" She broke off.

"What?" Remus asked.

"Something feels weird." A sharp pain gripped her. For a moment the only thing she could do was hold on to Remus, he was all that kept her standing. "Ah!" she squeaked when it eased.

"Is it…but it can't…it's way too soon…"

"I don't know…I don't think so…" She felt it again, and thought the pain was in the wrong spot to be what Remus feared, like she was being kicked in the kidney, hard, and repeatedly. The baby was really churning around.

"Aberforth, get a chair," Remus shouted, and soon Tonks felt herself being lowered down.

"Is she all right?" Flume asked. "What did I do?"

And again, in the liver this time. Actually, maybe lung. Tonks gripped Remus's hand.

"What…" she heard him say. His other hand touched her stomach. Tonks could feel all the movement inside her, but she opened her eyes to look for herself anyway. Even though her robes she could see the raised bulge of her midsection actually undulating.

"What's happening?" Remus asked, raw panic on his face and voice.

"It feels like it's trying to get out the hard way," Tonks said. "I think I'm going to pass out."

"No, no, don't do that. I'll get a message to your mother."

"Molly might…be more helpful."

"No, what am I thinking? Aberforth, are you in contact with Madam Pomfrey? Is she at Hogwarts? Can you send for her?"

"What did I do?" Flume asked again.

"Dora, you're gonna…you're _both_ going to be fine…just stay with me…breathe…"

"I think I'm…gonna…"

Everything went dark.


	11. That is the fate of truth

Author's Note: Sorry about the cliff hanger last chapter, but Tonks passed out, there was nothing I could do. And there's worse news: this chapter is Ted's. You know the rules. The chapter title is from _The Vicomte de Bragelonne_ by Alexandre Dumas.

 **Chapter 11: That is the fate of truth; she is a stern companion; she bristles all over with steel; she wounds those whom she attacks, and sometimes him who speaks her**

After shutting the door of the house he had spent years working as a research assistant to afford, Ted Apparated to Diagon Alley and walked down the whole length of it, bold as brass, Leaky Cauldron to Gringotts, passing coins to the wandless pan-handlers as he went, humming the Imperial March the whole way, and mailed his letters. No one stopped him, no one even seemed to notice him, so he walked the whole length back and stopped in the Leaky Cauldron for a pint and a long chat with the bartender. Tom seemed to think him mad, kept advising him to keep his name to himself and for Merlin's sake pipe down about being a Muggle-born, but Ted ignored these suggestions, he knew what he was doing. After finishing his drink, he paid his tab, stood, and strode out onto the Muggle street.

Still humming loudly, Ted worked his way to a busier area. London might be a Muggle city by majority, but that hardly seemed to matter: he saw magical activity everywhere. In fact, more people were using magic on the street here than they had in Diagon Alley. He started to wonder how long he should spend doing this before finding a place to hide. Whether they had made it obvious or not, someone must have noticed him. Maybe even now a group of Snatchers was watching him, trying to decide who he was and if he was worth trying to capture. Not wanting to wait long enough to give them the chance, Ted decided to keep going the last mile or so to the Thames and then find a nice forest where he could spend the night.

Two blocks before he would have stopped, Ted came upon a disturbance, two young men roughing up a teenager. Reasoning that this was an excellent way to get himself noticed, and knowing that he would not be able to walk past such a scene under any circumstances, Ted shouted, "Hey! What are you doing!"

One of the assailants looked up at him, scoffed, and turned back to his prey. The other shouted back, "Shove off, old man!"

"I don't think I will, unless you leave him alone," Ted replied.

"What are you going to do about it?"

"I'm not sure yet," Ted said, drawing his wand. "But you have no idea how much I want to stay alive. It'll probably be decisive."

The two assailants drew wands as well. That was as Ted had expected.

"It'll probably be decisive?" the talkative one repeated.

"Not my best work, I'll admit."

Unnoticed by any but Ted, their victim raised a wand as well. That was not as Ted had expected, and he briefly worried that he had severely miscalculated. But then the teenager stunned one of his tormentors. While the other was still trying to figure out what had happened to his friend, Ted stunned him as well.

"Thanks for that," the teenager said, stepping over the two prone forms to shake hands with Ted. He was covered in cuts and bruises, not all of them fresh. "Bloody Slytherins. They're probably still just angry that I beat them at Quidditch. Dean Thomas."

"Ted Tonks. What are you doing here, Dean? You look like you should still be in school."

"This would be my seventh year," Dean confirmed. "Except I can't prove I'm not a Muggle-born."

"Ah, I'm Muggle-born as well, finally had to run."

"You're not doing a very good job of keeping a low profile, mate."

"Yes, well, I was just getting to that," Ted said. "Are you all right? Do you have a place to stay? It seems like maybe the city is a little rough."

"It is but…" Dean paused, looking at Ted assessingly. "…I never got the hang of Apparating. I don't know how to drive a car even if I could steal one, so it's a little hard to leave."

"I see. Would you like a side-along? I wouldn't mind the company."

"And leave this wonderland?" Dean asked, looking around. "Sign me up."

"All right, hang on tight," Ted said, holding out his hand. "Apparating feels pretty strange the first few times."

Dean grabbed on. Ted took them to Fforest Fawr.

He had never been there, but had the sense to consult a map before he left home. The map, however, had not managed to convey a true sense of the place: it had fewer trees than he had expected, based on the name, at least at the spot he had taken them, but rolling hills, meandering streams, jagged rocks, and not another living soul for as far as he could see. Ted turned around twice, looking in all directions, while Dean doubled over coughing, shaking off the feeling of his first Apparition.

"You're saying it stops feeling like that after a while?" Dean asked when he was recovered enough to speak.

"Well, no, it feels the same," Ted admitted. "But you get used to it."

"No way I'll ever get used to that. I thought I was going to be crushed."

Ted glanced at Dean, who was looking at him, and realized that for at least a moment, perhaps longer, Dean had worried he was putting his trust in the wrong stranger.

"Where are we?" Dean asked. Perhaps he still worried. Ted tried not to take it personally.

"Fforest Fawr," he explained. "It's not that far from Cardiff, sixty kilometers or so to the north. There should be a road in that direction." He pointed toward the setting sun. "I think the closest city is Neath, to the south west, but there should be lots of smaller towns closer by."

"If this is a forest, where are all the trees?" Dean asked, looking a little more reassured now that he had some of his bearings.

"I was wondering that myself, maybe that way?" Ted pointed toward the hills.

"Why not?" Dean shrugged.

They set off to the north and finally found the trees they had been expecting after half an hour or so of walking. Not long after that it began to get too dark to continue, so they found a likely looking clearing and prepared to spend the night. Dean was woefully short on camping supplies, all he had was a blanket, but Ted was not much better off.

He had been deeply surprised to find that Andromeda was actually correct in her conviction that they owned a tent, though once he saw it he remembered the week or so in Tonks's youth when she had begged them to take her camping. Ted and Andromeda had eventually caved and bought a second hand monstrosity of a tent. As was natural with six year olds, her interest had waned after a night in Cranborne Chase, but now it seemed he owed his scant shelter to that flight of fancy. Dean proved an able hand in assembling it and if he felt any disappointment in discovering that it was a Muggle tent without any of the usual magical amenities he managed to contain it. Ted was just relieved that it still had all the pegs and poles.

They built a fire near the entrance of the tent and settled on opposite sides of it for dinner. Ted looked up when Dean hissed at something and saw that he had just pulled a large plastic bag of food from his pack, but whatever it used to be, it was now a pulverized mess.

"Bastards must have stepped on it," Dean said, his voice tight. He opened the bag anyway, but Ted passed over a second plate of his own dinner. Rice, sausage, and beans, prepared by Andromeda. He had a large supply, enough to last two weeks – well, maybe just one week now – magically preserved, lightened, and shrunk to fit in his pack. Dean thanked him and dug in eagerly.

"Are you from London, Dean?" Ted asked.

Dean nodded. "Moved to Southwark when I was three, after my Mum remarried."

"Is your family all right?"

Dean had been in the midst of chewing another bite and suddenly seemed to have a lot of trouble with it. He forced himself to swallow, but it was clear that he nearly had to spit it out. He set his plate down. Ted felt he should apologize for his timing, but Dean spoke first.

"They're all Muggles. I tried to explain, but…I don't think they really get it. Cynthia, that's my youngest step sister, she's four, she wouldn't let go of me after I said I had to leave. I had to carry her around while I was packing. I tried to tell her that it was just like when I go away to Hogwarts, but she knew better. I just hope that if I'm not around the Death Eaters won't be interested in them anymore. Although that doesn't help me much. Harry taught us a lot of spells, but these are Death Eaters…"

"Harry?" Ted asked. "You mean Harry Potter?"

"Yeah, Harry Potter," Dean replied, looking split between embarrassment about bringing up the association and pride in it. "He's in my year at Hogwarts. We shared a dormitory."

"I only met him once," Ted said, feeling he could trust Dean with this. "It probably wasn't his best day, but he struck me as a young man who never gives up. I'd very much like the chance to meet him again, properly."

"Do you think it's true what they say about him being the Chosen One?" Dean asked. "I don't get the _Prophet_ at home. It's hard to know what's going on all the time."

"That's probably for the best, these days, about the _Prophet_ at least," Ted said. "I know a few people who think he's the Chosen One. For myself, whether it's true or not, it seems we've put our trust in a worthy candidate. I just wish he didn't have to shoulder it alone, on the run like he is. He seems so young."

"Then he's not at Hogwarts?" Dean said. Ted had not meant to give out new information on that subject, but it was too late now. "I guess that makes sense, though. Anyway, I'll bet Ron and Hermione are with him, wherever he is."

Ted had thought Dean would be old enough to know the difference between being alone physically and alone in a task.

"It's a little hard to believe that people I've known since we were eleven are out here somewhere saving the world from You-Know-Who, but also, with Harry, not so hard to believe as well," Dean continued.

Ted checked his watch. "Have you heard about Potterwatch, Dean?"

He shook his head.

Ted extracted a small portable wireless from his pack. "Pirate radio," he explained as he twirled the dial. "Tells the real news. They should start broadcasting sometime soon."

"Brilliant," Dean replied, sitting up with interest.

He sat patiently, watching while Ted tried to find the signal, scanning slowly through the frequencies while tapping the case with his wand and muttering, "Quibbler, Quibbler, Quibbler." Just when he was sure that he somehow had the time or day wrong, Lee's voice broke through the static.

"-to another Potterwatch! You can call me River, and I'll be telling you all the news the Ministry doesn't want you to hear."

"Hang on, how do I know that voice?" Dean asked in an undertone.

"-here with Royal, who will be giving you his analysis, and we have some special guests later in the program. So, let's do it!"

"Lee Jordan!" Dean burst out. "What are you doing on the radio?"

Dean listened, rapt, hardly appearing to breathe, except to hiss at some of the details of the new regime or give a small cheer whenever he heard the name of someone he knew, or to quietly ask Ted for more information on an ongoing issue he was learning about for the first time. Ted tried to turn up the volume for him, but it seemed that the small radio was already giving them everything it had.

"And now we would like to move on to a special segment about the plight of Muggle-borns today," Lee said. "As our regular listeners know, many persecuted Muggle-borns have been able to escape the country, but many others have fallen under the harshest discrimination. I am going to turn it over to Romulus and Russet now for their words on the subject."

"Thank you, Royal," Remus said. Ted saw Dean listening hard, trying to place the voice. Russet was a new pseudonym; Ted wondered who it would be. "As everyone knows, the Muggle-born Registration Commission has been unfairly persecuting Muggle-borns since the beginning of the new regime. Muggle-borns have faced biased trials where a guilty verdict can mean they are stripped of their wands or even thrown in Azkaban."

"Is that Professor Lupin?" Dean whispered. Ted nodded.

"The Muggle-born Registration Commission claims that Muggle-born witches and wizards cannot occur naturally, and so concludes that these individuals must have stolen their magic. Potterwatch recently obtained a letter, written by an extremely well respected magical historian specializing in the pre-history of magic, which clearly refutes the Commission's reasoning."

Ted barely breathed. He had somehow never considered having his letter read on Potterwatch. It hardly seemed like gripping radio, at least not to anyone besides him.

"Copies of this letter are being sent to the Minister, the _Daily Prophet_ , and _The Quibbler_ , but we feel confident that we are the first to present it to a wide audience. So, I am going to hand the microphone over to Russet to read it to you."

"Thank you, Romulus."

If Ted had been sitting in a chair he might have fallen out of it. That was Tonks's voice.

"Okay, settle in everyone, and get ready to have your hats knocked off," she continued. "Let's get started. 'The persecution of Muggle-born witches and wizards, while not a new element of our society, has recently taken a turn to the extreme…"

Ted knew the letter word for word, but he listened rapt as Tonks worked her way through the pages, eyes filling with dew. He had been forced that day to accept that he might never see his daughter again, but here she was, speaking to him.

"…History will not forget the actions of the Muggle-born Registration Commission. History will judge it harshly and give it much to answer for," Tonks said, coming to the end of the letter. "We are all Muggle-borns.'"

Remus came back on.

"I would like to add that the author of this letter, a Muggle-born himself, recently had to leave the safety of his home to avoid the same persecution he denounces here."

"That's true, R-Romulus," Tonks said. "And his family would like to pass along a message to him: You are deeply missed, but we understand why you had to go. Keep safe out there and come back any time. All right, back to you, R- …er…"

"River," Lee prompted.

"Merlin," Tonks muttered.

"I'll answer to that too."

"What's wrong with my brain?"

Ted burst into tight laughter. He could not seem to help it.

"We'll get name tags for the next broadcast," Lee said. "We're almost out of time, but Romulus, I assume you have a few words of encouragement for the esteemed Mr. Potter?"

"Until I'm sure he's heard them, River," Remus replied.

After Lee signed off a few minutes later and the channel turned to static, Dean looked up at Ted.

"That was brilliant. Do you know those two? Professor Lupin and Russet, whoever she is?"

"My daughter and her husband," Ted said.

"I didn't know Professor Lupin was married."

"Only since the summer."

"He was probably the best Defense teacher we had," Dean said. "Especially since it turned out Moody was actually a Death Eater in disguise. He was always good to everyone, made sure we learned, and not just the subject either."

"He said many times that the year he spent teaching at Hogwarts was one of the best in his life," Ted said.

"Your daughter must be pretty great too, then."

"You have no idea."

Ted actually saw the moment when Dean put it together.

"Did you write that essay?" he asked.

Ted nodded the affirmative.

"Blimey, why don't you teach history of magic?" Dean said. "I might have actually paid attention."

Ted shrugged. "I applied, but Professor Bins is rather set in his ways. He didn't want to give up the post," he said. Then feeling as though he ought to finish what he had started, "At least, not to a Muggle-born."

Dean thought that over quietly for a moment. "I'm surprised Dumbledore stood for that," he decided. "Or was he not headmaster yet?"

"He was," Ted said. "But I'm not sure he knew. Both he and Binns interviewed me separately, and I don't know what Binns said to Dumbledore, but he more or less told me that he didn't think I had the right background for the job. He made it sound like he thought I was too specialized in pre-history, though. I didn't even mean to have my antenna up, but…"

"Yeah."

"Yeah. Well, it all worked out anyway."

"Not for anyone who's had to listen to one of Binns's lectures."

"For that you have my deepest apologies."

Ted cleaned his and Dean's empty plates and replaced them in his pack.

"Dean, maybe you can help me with something," he said when that was done.

"Sure, Ted."

"I've had the beginning of Pinball Wizard stuck in my head for months now and can't for the life of me remember how the lyrics start. It's driving me mad."

Dean's eyes flicked up, he lifted his left hand and bent his fingers like he was fretting a guitar, and after a few moments he quietly sang, "'Ever since I was a young boy I played the silver ball.'"

"Merlin!" Ted exclaimed, more loudly that he mean to. "'From Soho down to Brighton, I must have played them all.'"

"My step dad is a huge fan of The Who," Dean said.

"I may need you again in a couple minutes," Ted replied, then continued singing to himself, "'But I ain't seen nothing like him in any amusement hall…"

"Too bad I left my guitar at home," Dean said.

* * *

The next morning, Ted woke far earlier than Dean and emerged from the tent to find the forest covered in frost. He sent his Patronus off with a quick message home, built a fire, heated up some breakfast, pulled a book from his pack, and read it while he ate, and then while he waited, his breath freezing in front of him. Dean finally appeared, yawning, around mid morning. Ted passed him a bowl of porridge. Clearly not a morning person, Dean only stared at it blankly for a minute before picking up the spoon.

"What are you reading?" Dean asked when he finished his porridge.

Ted held the book up so he could see the cover. " _The Man in the Iron Mask_. One of my favorites."

"I've never read it. Is that a Muggle book?" Dean asked. "The picture on the cover isn't moving."

Ted nodded. "You can borrow it if you want. I've read it about a hundred times."

"Maybe after you've finished it. Looks like you're already about half way though anyway," Dean said. "What time is it?"

"I'm just going right to my favorite parts, and it's around 10 am."

"I think I forgot what it was like to really sleep," Dean said.

Ted had not. The hard ground and magically warmed tent was no substitute for lying next to Andromeda on their feather bed, in his opinion.

"I think you should try and learn to Apparate," Ted said.

Dean perked up immediately.

"I've never taught anyone, but I did learn at one point. I could try and teach you, especially if you already know the basics."

"Yes, please!"

"I don't know how to help someone who's splinched themselves, though."

"Then I'd better not splinch myself," Dean said.

"Or I'd better figure it out," Ted added.

"Thanks for the vote of confidence, Professor."

As it turned out, the threat of getting permanently stuck with half a leg on one side of the clearing and the rest of him on the other, coupled with the knowledge that Disapparating away from danger was his best means of defending himself, may have been just the motivation Dean needed to sort out his Apparition. By early afternoon he was jumping from point to point all over the clearing while Ted watched with satisfaction and more than a little pride, growing dizzy as he tried to follow his pupil's progress. Eventually he called a halt for a late lunch, promising Dean that he would face his final exam when they finished.

The lunch, Ted felt, was nothing worth bragging about, but he thought the Apparition exam he had in mind would satisfy Ministry requirements, or at least the requirements of a reasonable Ministry. He instructed Dean to Apparate to the point where they had first arrived in Fforest Fawr, a mile or two away, pull up one of the tufts of grass, and Apparate back to their clearing. Dean received his assignment eagerly, stood, and Disapparated.

Ted thought that it should take Dean only a few seconds to complete the test, no more than a minute at the longest, so when five minutes elapsed with no sign of him, Ted began to worry. Dean had not splinched himself; Ted even searched the area where he had been standing for small pieces. Even if Dean missed the mark on the opposite side, he should have no trouble returning to camp, he had been Apparating all over it less than an hour ago. Ted decided to give Dean another sixty-count, then go and investigate.

Just when Ted reached thirty seven, Dean reappeared with a tremendous, sloppy pop, stumbled toward the tent before he even had his balance back, and shouted, "We have to go!"

Ted did not ask questions, just extinguished the fire and started stuffing things pell-mell into their packs. By the time he finished with that and started helping Dean disassemble the tent he could hear boots stomping through the half frozen undergrowth and rough voices arguing as they approached.

"I'm telling you, we searched this place two days ago, there was no one here."

"And no one could have shown up since then, could they?"

"We may have to leave this," Ted whispered to Dean as they continued to struggle with the tent. After all the reluctance it had shown toward being assembled, he would have expected it to come down more easily.

"Well, if the Dark Lord wants Potter he should send us to Jamaica, I say. That bastard's long since done a runner."

"You just want to go to Jamaica. The Dark Lord can send us where he likes. Let's settle this."

"What makes you think that's going to work this time?"

"Homonum Revelio. What the- That way!"

The two Snatchers appeared in the shadows around the clearing just as Ted and Dean extracted the last pole from the canvas of the tent. Being so close to having it ready made them stupid. They stuffed the poles into the bag and bundled up the canvas, shouldered their packs, and Ted drew a blank when he tried to think of someplace to take them.

"Hey," one of the Snatchers exclaimed when he caught sight of them, a smirk crossing his face. "Isn't that Bellatrix's-"

Ted never heard the rest. Dean grabbed his shoulder and Disapparated them away. The moment it had taken the Snatcher to recognize him had given them the time they needed to escape. And Ted had always thought that his relationship to Bellatrix would never be useful for anything.

Ted did not recognize the place where they landed, but he decided that it must be north of Fforest Fawr based on temperature alone. Dean released his shoulder.

"Thank you," Ted said, turning to face him, heart racing. "That was quick thinking. You definitely passed your exam, flying colors."

Dean only eyed him mistrustfully.

"Bellatrix's what?"

"Hmm? Oh…"

"I know I'm not Bellatrix Lestrange's anything," Dean said impatiently. "So who are you to her?"

"Her brother in law," Ted replied.

"Are you kidding me!" Dean exclaimed. "What's your game, here? Why haven't you captured me already? Are you really a Muggle-born?"

"No. No game. I don't work for You-Know-Who. And yes," Ted answered in order.

Dean had to spend a moment working out that response. Ted knew that at least one of his questions had been meant rhetorically.

"But how can you be related to Bellatrix if you're a Muggle-born?" Dean asked, slightly calmer after having to spend some time in thought.

"Her sister, Andromeda, is sort of the black sheep of the family, she doesn't go along with her family's dark magic nonsense," Ted explained. "They disowned her when she married me. Actually, here…"

He unshouldered his pack and dug through it briefly, finally extracting his book, which had gotten crushed at the bottom of the bag during their hurry to escape. Tucked in its pages was a copy of the picture taken on Tonks and Remus's wedding day, which featured the two newlyweds with Ted and Andromeda. Tonks beamed from the picture, jumping slightly in happiness. Andromeda's usual quiet dignity sometimes cracked and released a broad smile and a tear. Ted looked as though his face might split. Remus alone sometimes showed reluctance, but he had overcome many of those misgivings in the time since. Ted glanced at the picture and felt the usual swelling of happiness and pride, then passed it over to Dean.

Dean studied the picture carefully, looking up at Ted once or twice to compare him to his likeness. "That's you and Professor Lupin," he decided eventually, handing it back. "You've done nothing but help me since we met. I'm sorry for suspecting you."

"Don't worry about it," Ted replied. "It seems to pay to be suspicious these days. Thank you for the warning and the side along. Where are we?"

"Wicklow Mountains in Ireland. I came here with my friend Seamus once. If I remember right there's a nice waterfall around here somewhere."

"I wouldn't mind seeing that," Ted said. They finished packing the tent properly, then set off to where Dean thought the waterfall was. "I didn't realize they included all of Ireland when they closed the borders," Ted added as they walked.

"They closed what borders?" Dean asked.

"It was in the _Daily Prophet_ a while ago," Ted clarified. He had not realized just how isolated Dean was with his Muggle family. "The Ministry made it impossible to leave the United Kingdom by magical means, but apparently they lumped in Ireland. It makes sense, magical Ireland was still under the Ministry's jurisdiction even before all this."

"Don't bring that up if you ever meet Seamus," Dean replied. "But people really can't escape the country if they want to?" His sense of direction was true. Ted could hear falling water. They hurried toward it.

"There's a loophole. In fact, they mentioned it on Potterwatch but I should have said something before. My family has been helping Muggle-borns get away. If things ever get too bad for you here, you could find them, they'll help you." He gave Dean the address.

"Thanks, but I'd rather stick it out," Dean replied. "Maybe I'll be able to help eventually. Well, this is the spot."

They came at last to the waterfall and paused in appreciation. Ted had never been much for the outdoors in the past, but these last twenty four hours had made him wonder if he had been missing out on something important.

"Should we set up here?"

Dean shrugged and nodded. They found a flat spot and assembled the tent, then lit a fire. Dean sat down on a rock next to it and held out his hands, but Ted's thoughts stayed on the tent. He had been paying more careful attention when they raised it that time, noting the steps, trying to figure out what could be done simultaneously and what had to be done in sequence. Now, he stood at the mouth and gave his wand a complicated wave. Immediately, every joint in the poles separated, but only half of it folded up like he had planned, the rest tangled itself and caused a rip. Ted inspected the tangle, repaired the damage, developed a hypothesis about what had happened to cause it, and waved his wand again, folding the rest the way he had intended.

"Do you think we need to move?" Dean asked, watching him.

"No, not at all," Ted replied. "But we need to be able to disassemble this more quickly."

Assembling the tent did not go anything like how he thought it would either. It flipped itself into shape, only upside down, then collapsed, somehow ejecting one of the poles into the underbrush. Ted had to summon it back. The second attempt went a little better, but it still took him over an hour to work out exactly how to assemble and disassemble the tent magically, and longer still to teach Dean. To Dean's credit, even when he got frustrated with the complex spell and looked like he would rather quit, he stuck with it until he mastered it.

They settled back around the fire for a well deserved dinner. This time, when Dean sat down on his rock of choice, it shifted beneath him and knocked him off, and when he moved it aside to find out why it was unsteady he found a book beneath.

"Thank you. Look at this," Dean said when Ted passed him a plate of food, holding up the book in return. " _How to Charm a Witch_. Someone magical must have camped here before us."

Ted managed not to tell Dean what life with a wife and daughter had taught him about such publications, but it took a lot of effort. Instead he said, "It looks like someone tried to burn it." He was opposed to burning books for any reason, except perhaps in a survival situation where someone desperately needed the heat, but in this case it seemed like not such a terrible alternative.

"Yeah, why would they do that?" Dean wondered, coaxing the battered book open to the introduction. "What the…" he breathed when he looked inside.

Ted suppressed a sigh and prepared to eat his dinner in silence while Dean memorized ten spells to make her blush, or some such nonsense. He only hoped to avoid being called in for a consultation.

"Look at this," Dean said after a time.

Ted cursed his poor luck but accepted the book when Dean passed it over to the fire to him. It was open to the beginning of 'Chapter Two: Gauging Interest' and the margins were filled with hand written notes. Ted had to work hard to read the writing; the penmanship was poor and the fire damage did not help.

"That's Ron Weasley's handwriting, I'm sure of it," Dean said.

"Ron Weasley," Ted said. "As in, half of the Ron and Hermione who are definitely with Harry Potter, wherever he is?"

"Yeah, they must have been here."

Ted squinted at the note next to the paragraph titled with, "3. Helpfulness."

"'H is definitely helpful,'" he read aloud.

"He means Hermione, trust me," Dean said.

Ted didn't care. Under that note, in even worse writing, it said 'Sometimes,' and beneath that, more illegible still, 'Never.' He sensed that he was watching Ron's state of mind degrade and flipped forward. Ten pages on he found something to make him pause again. It was the beginning of 'Chapter 4: The First Date' and it and the facing page were covered in handwritten ink, the same word repeated over and over: 'Hopeless.'

Uneasily, Ted turned the book around to show Dean, who nodded. He had already seen it.

"Wherever they are, it looks like maybe they aren't doing very well," Dean said, moving the food around on his plate with his fork.

Against his own judgment, Ted turned the next few pages. They had no handwritten notes, which struck him as even more ominous than before, like Ron had given up.

"Don't do that," Ted whispered, as if Ron could hear him.

"Don't do what?" Dean asked.

"Nothing, not you. It's just…" Ted paused. What would he need to hear if he was Harry, Ron, or Hermione? Faced with a task so impossible he could not even tell anyone about it? Not 'everyone is counting on you,' surely. "I wish there was a way to find them. Those three need to know that we haven't forgotten about them."

"Well, if I run into them, I'll be sure to tell them," Dean replied.


	12. The werewolf in its transformed state

**Chapter 12: The werewolf in its transformed state**

Madam Pomfrey arrived mere minutes after Aberforth dragged the stammering, apologizing Flume upstairs. She tossed aside her cloak and one of the school's brooms, and immediately took charge. That was fortunate because the last sensible thing that Remus had done was to send for her. Tonks still sat slumped in the chair, her hand limp in his, her stomach still pulsing as the baby did whatever it was trying to do.

"What happened?" Pomfrey asked officiously as she ran her wand over her patient.

"She got crushed against a wall," Remus said. He seemed to be talking too fast and tried to slow down. "E-everything seemed f-fine at first. Th-then she said s-something felt s-strange." The stuttering was not an improvement.

"She's got a nice bump on her head but I can fix the concussion," Pomfrey reported, giving her wand a flick. Remus had not even known that Tonks hit her head. "And this isn't labor, so what do we have here…"

Pomfrey pointed her wand at Tonks's stomach and knelt there, staring, for a long time. Remus realized he was squeezing Tonks's hand in both of his own, maybe tight enough to bruise, and forced himself to stop. The only tonic seemed to be to bite one of his fingers. He shifted the grip of his other hand so he could feel Tonks's pulse in her wrist.

"That's interesting."

Remus was sure his heart stopped when Madam Pomfrey said that. It was as he had feared all along, the child was a werewolf, it was going to claw and bite its way out of Tonks right here in front of him, in a dingy cellar that smelled like goats. He would have to watch, and then he would have to live with it.

"What's interesting?" he asked, tears dripping down his cheeks. He had been biting his finger hard enough to draw blood.

Tonks's hand twitched in his, she was waking up.

"Hey," Remus said, stroking her hair. "Madam Pomfrey's here, everything's going to be fine." It was what people said at times like these, even when they were not sure that anything was ever going to be fine again. He hated himself for having to say it now.

"What about…?"

"Everything's fine, but hold still, dear," Madam Pomfrey instructed.

"Baby, you're hurting me," Tonks whispered to herself, but Remus heard, and it tore his heart out.

"The baby was putting pressure on your diaphragm, making it hard for you to breathe," Madam Pomfrey explained. "That's why you passed out."

"How could it do that?" Remus could hear the pain in her voice. "It's still twisting around. What's going on?"

"Well, Remus, Nymphadora, I have good news for you."

They looked at each other. This seemed to Remus like an odd time for good news. Tonks appeared to think so too. She didn't even correct Madam Pomfrey's use of her first name.

"Your child is definitely magical."

"Wait. How can you tell already?" Tonks asked.

Because it's a werewolf. If Remus hadn't already been kneeling on the floor he might have fallen.

"He's a metamorphmagus."

"He's a metamorph…hold on, he? It's a boy?"

That one had completely gone past Remus until Tonks said it again. He gripped her hand even tighter and waited for confirmation.

"Oops?"

Clearly, Madam Pomfrey spent too much of her time working on unconscious teenagers and not nervous parents to be. Her beside manner needed serious work.

"That's great, but what's happening?" he asked. As if to prove his point, a small bulge appeared and traced its way all across Tonks's stomach.

Pomfrey pointed her wand at the spot. "Elbow," she reported.

"I don't get it."

Instead of explaining, Tonks lifted her free arm and screwed up her face. The limb stretched to twice its normal length then shrunk again. Remus finally understood.

"It's…he's doing that right now?"

"He's calming down," Tonks replied.

"But how do we keep this from happening?" Remus said, finally coming to understand that the situation was under control and completely certain that he never wanted to see anything like that again.

"You could start by not squishing him," Madam Pomfrey said. "Also keep your heart rate down, Nymphadora. He can feel it when you're troubled."

"Fair," Tonks said. "But as I understand it, there is some amount of squishing in his future."

"Yes, but nothing like you subjected him to today, I think. Your mother managed all right with you, I gather, and she's not a metamorphmagus herself."

"But what about emergencies?" Remus asked. "Is there a potion or something that blocks metamorphmagus abilities?"

"Metamorphmagi are rare enough that no one's ever bothered," Tonks said. "You could knock him and me out."

"I don't know about that."

" _Stupefy_ is perfectly safe in these circumstances, as long as you don't fall badly," Madam Pomfrey said. "In fact, I suggest we try it before I go. Just to get everything back to its normal dimensions and make sure there was no tangling."

"But why would that work?" Remus asked. "Your hair doesn't change back to its normal color when you fall asleep, it's still purple right now."

"It used to, before I really got good at it," Tonks replied. "Plus getting Stupefied causes a much deeper sleep. And purple is my hair's normal color."

"My mistake."

"Are we going to try this or what?" Tonks said. She still looked uncomfortable.

Madam Pomfrey looked at Remus, who looked at Tonks and said, "As long as you're okay with it."

She nodded.

Remus lifted his wand but found he just could not cast the spell at her. Madam Pomfrey had to do it instead. Tonks slumped in the chair again, her hair turned light brown and lengthened slightly, and her pulsing stomach fell still, the extra bulges retreating.

"Everything looks good," Madam Pomfrey reported. "No tangling. Just try not to do this too often."

"You said it was safe!"

"It is. What I meant is that your son shouldn't remember what happened, exactly, but if he does it again too many times it might start to become a habit, something he does without warning or reason. If that happens we might have to take other steps."

"Like what?"

"I don't actually know. As your wife said, metamorphmagi are rare. She's the only one in her entire generation. Your son might be the only one in his."

"One more thing before…" _Before we wake her up_ , was what he almost said. Madam Pomfrey seemed to know what he had left out, but he had to just carry on. "Can you tell…is he a werewolf?"

"There's no way know for sure at this stage," Madam Pomfrey said. "I'm sorry, Remus."

Remus nodded, it was as he expected. He would just have to carry that old fear around along with this new one.

"You can wake her up now," Madam Pomfrey added.

That he could do, at least. He flicked his wand and Tonks stirred and stretched. He reached out and tucked her brown hair behind her ear.

"Any more pain?" Madam Pomfrey asked.

"No," Tonks replied. "Everything feels normal. Thank you."

"In that case, you should expect to have a new little metamorphmagus around the middle of April. Congratulations."

"Thank you, Madam Pomfrey," Remus said.

"One more thing," Tonks added as Madam Pomfrey pulled on her cloak. "When the students come back after break, can you keep a special eye on Ginny Weasley, Neville Longbottom, and Luna Lovegood for me?"

"I already was," she said, and took her leave.

Remus and Tonks looked at each other.

"I'm going to need a minute before we go back upstairs," Remus said, running a shaking hand through his hair.

Tonks nodded and got cautiously to her feet, maintaining her grip on Remus's hand. Once they were both standing, they fell into a hug. Remus held her as tightly as he dared, which was not very tightly at all, and settled for rubbing her back, drawing circles, tracing out a message about how scared he had been. In return, she squeezed him so hard it was almost difficult to breathe and he savored the feeling.

"Thank you," Tonks whispered into his shirt after a long time of this.

"For what?"

"You saved me."

"I don't know…"

"You did."

"You saved me too."

"When?"

"All the time."

"Hey, guess what?" she said, loosening her hold and looking up at him.

"What?"

"It's a boy."

"How about that," Remus said, brushing her hair away from her damp cheeks. "Guess what else?"

"What?"

"He's a metamorphmagus."

Tonks smiled at him and turned her hair back to purple under his fingers.

"I am going to teach him all the tricks," she promised. "You are really going to have to stay on your toes."

When they got back to the pub upstairs, Aberforth and Ambrosius Flume were sitting at one of the tables with half a bottle of Firewhiskey between them. It was fairly obvious where the other half had gone.

"Are you all right?" Flume slurred at Tonks as soon as he spotted her. Remus automatically held up his arm between them, but Flume didn't even make it out of his chair before falling drunkenly back down.

Even though he had to admit that it was good that this had happened when they were so close to a friendly Healer of Madam Pomfrey's talent, and he knew that Flume had not been in control of himself at the time, Remus still found himself with very little patience for the man who had crushed his wife against a wall. Fortunately, Tonks was more forgiving.

"Yes, Madam Pomfrey sorted everything out," she replied, pushing Remus's arm down. "Thank you. How are you? Any lingering effects of the Imperius?"

"None, you do your work well."

"Good, I was worried I hadn't released you properly."

"Nope, I feel exactly like my old self again, thank you," Flume said. "And I'm sorry for…well, I was worried I'd really hurt you. Listen, there's free candy for both of you and the little one at Honeydukes, any time you want it."

"Thanks, and it wasn't your fault," Tonks said with surprising amicability. "We should be going."

"G'night," Aberforth grunted without turning to face them.

Outside, Remus said, "I don't see how you can be so nice to him after that."

She looked up at him like she had seen him in a new light, though he couldn't figure how.

"I'm in a good mood with everyone right now. Don't poke holes in that," she added when Remus opened his mouth to point out a few people she probably actually was angry at.

"Let's get out of here, it's freezing," he said instead.

* * *

When Tonks first told him about the invitation, Remus thought that a Christmas party sounded like a ridiculous idea with the world falling apart around them, and said so, often. Tonks, however, took the opposite view, thought the concept brilliant and eventually won the argument by pointing out that Ron might attend, giving Remus the chance to speak with him.

Now, standing near the foot of the stairs in the Burrow, an hour and a butterbeer into the party, Remus still found the whole thing more than a little ridiculous, but also completely brilliant. Ron had yet to put in an appearance, and Bill and Fleur had told him that they did not expect him to, but everyone who had come, most of the Order and some close friends, looked noticeably more relaxed after a little time in good company, away from their usual concerns.

It was difficult to pinpoint if Remus stuck near Tonks or Tonks near Remus, but they had not left each other's sides since arriving. In fact, since their scare at the Hog's Head a few days ago they had been out of sight of each other for only short durations. Remus knew that Tonks's independence would reassert itself soon, so he enjoyed their new closeness while he could, and she seemed to as well. For the moment, it certainly made things easy for the long stream of well-wishers who passed by them, and it allowed Tonks to sneak the odd sip of Remus's butterbeer. Andromeda had lingered near them for a time but eventually excused herself to go teach exploding snap to some of the younger children in attendance. She clearly missed Ted severely and Tonks had needed to force her to come to the party rather than spend Christmas Eve alone. Kreacher had decided to stay home and would not be moved, but perhaps that was for the best. Most of those in attendance tonight knew Kreacher in his cranky, bigoted form and would likely react accordingly.

"Minerva!" Remus called, catching sight of a familiar bun across the crowded room. She turned, saw Remus's wave, and made her way over to them.

"Remus!" Minerva replied when she was close enough, shaking hands. "How wonderful to see you!"

"And you," Remus said.

"And Miss Tonks…or, rather Mrs. Lupin…or do you prefer…"

"Tonks will do, Professor McGonagall."

They shook hands as well. Minerva was not much of a hugger.

"You're not a student anymore, Tonks, you can call me Minerva, as I've told you before."

"But every time I try I remember the look you gave me when you caught me trying to sneak back onto the grounds after staying too late in Hogsmeade…that's the one. I told you before, the Weird Sisters were playing at Rosemerta's. What was I supposed to do?"

"Ask the permission of your head of house, like your classmates," Minerva replied.

"I was flunking Herbology at the time," Tonks muttered. "Sprout would have given me remedial work instead, and then detention when I killed all her Tentaculas. I didn't see the harm in skipping straight to the detention and going to see a concert in the meantime. I saved those Tentaculas lives, you know."

Minerva looked unconvinced. "That's all in the past, anyway. You look lovely."

"Thanks." Tonks still looked a little sour about the previous topic, and Remus knew that she was quickly growing tired of hearing that second observation.

"Would you mind if I speak to Minerva in private for a few minutes?" Remus asked Tonks.

"Go ahead," she replied, waving him away. "I can fend off this horde for a little while."

The Burrow was so crowded that there was no really private place to talk indoors, so Remus and Minerva pulled on their cloaks and stepped out into the garden. They circled the house as they talked to keep their feet warm.

"You and Tonks seem to have patched things up," Minerva said while Remus was still gathering his thoughts.

"Oh…yes, she was amazingly forgiving. I needed a lot of setting straight, there. Thank you for your advice."

"You would have come around on your own eventually."

"I hope so. Most days I can't believe that I actually meant to leave her and Kung-Fu." The term slipped out unintentionally. He had been resisting using it, not really needing the reminder.

"Kung-Fu?" Minerva asked, pausing in her steps.

"Tonks's name for the baby," Remus explained. "He's got a hell of a punch."

"He?"

"Yeah."

They walked in silence for a bit. Remus could feel the hastily constructed copy of the Marauder's Map sitting heavy in his breast pocket. He and Tonks planned to present it to Ginny later.

"How are things at Hogwarts?" he finally had to ask.

Minerva's eyes grew haunted.

"Hogwarts is corrupted, perverted," she said. "I have had to watch students practice the Cruciatus curse on each other and am unable to do anything to stop it. I had to teach second years how to animate Inferi while Amycus threatened me with Imperius. I fear that Hogwarts will never again be the school it was."

"Do you know that there is a student rebellion based on what's left of Dumbledore's Army?"

She nodded. "Those poor, brave souls. All the teachers know about them now."

"All of them?"

"Snape and the Carrows as well," Minerva said. "They could hardly miss them after they broke into Snape's office."

Remus nodded. Tonks had mentioned that.

"You remember little Neville Longbottom?" Minerva continued.

"Of course." Remus could hardly forget him; he had gotten to see Snape wearing a dress and a hat with a stuffed vulture on it thanks to Neville. The part of him that was still sixteen broke down laughing every time he thought of it.

"He's their leader, with Potter gone. He was punished the most severely of any of them. I don't know how he withstood it."

"I think we should have learned by now not to underestimate Neville Longbottom," Remus said, remembering the young man's bravery in the Department of Mysteries and the battle that followed Dumbledore's murder in the Astronomy tower.

"He's a gem, I'll give him that," Minerva said. They completed their circuit of the house and began another. "But he's of age, he can make his own decisions. Most of those who look to him are not, Ginny and Luna, for instance."

"I don't think this war is going to obey those sorts of distinctions," Remus said. "The last one didn't, in the end. You said yourself that Hogwarts is teaching twelve year olds to make Inferi. If they're being faced with the choice to submit or resist…"

"…better to fight back," Minerva admitted. She sighed and pulled her cloak a little tighter around her. "What did you want to talk to me about?"

"I want to help think of some ways the teachers at Hogwarts can help the student resistance."

"Do you think I haven't tried to do that?" Minerva asked, her voice sharp. "We teachers are monitored constantly. If we do anything not strictly relating to our classes we'll be put under the Imperius curse or dismissed, and then we'd be no help at all."

"I'm not trying to be critical, I'm sure you're doing everything you can," Remus said quickly. "But I can't do much to help with the war right now myself, and I just…"

"Potterwatch isn't nothing," Minerva interrupted. "You have no idea how much the mood changed in Hogwarts after word about it got around."

"I didn't even realize that the students knew about it," Remus said, feeling a little warmer inside. He caught a glimmer in Minerva's eye and immediately knew who had gotten the word out. "Tonks and Ginny worked out a way to communicate when Ginny is back at Hogwarts. Tonks is going to help the resistance with their strategies, but they would be even more effective if they also had support from the inside, or even if they just knew that someone will argue for them if they get caught."

"I suppose a fresh set of eyes wouldn't hurt. What did you have in mind?"

They circled the house twice more discussing the situation at Hogwarts and what Minerva and the other loyal teachers might be able to do to help, but contrary to Remus's expectations the topic they returned to again and again was Snape. According to Minerva, whenever he could Snape would punish disobedient students by giving them detention with Hagrid.

"But Hagrid's in the Order, he loves the students and would never hurt them. Snape knows this," Remus protested for the fifth time at least. "What happens during these detentions?"

"They walk around the forest for a while, and when they can they spend the night in a cabin that Hagrid built and come back in the morning, trying to look like they had a miserable time, and generally failing," Minerva said. Her answer had not changed since the last time Remus asked.

"Snape is smarter than many combinations of the rest of us put together. How can he not realize what's really going on?" Remus asked.

"He's also smarter than the Carrows," Minerva said. Then she added something that broke the loop of their discussion. "It was Alecto who originally suggested that Hagrid handle the usual detentions."

"The Carrows don't know Hagrid like we do," Remus realized at last, feeling like a dunce. "They assumed that, since he's half giant, he'll be brutal to the students. So that's the solution. You and the other teachers have to make the Carrows believe that you've stopped resisting them and gone over to their side, then they'll ease their restrictions and you'll be able to help the students in secret."

Minerva halted in her overlapping tracks.

"I am a teacher, Remus! So are you!"

Remus liked the sound of that, but also thought it a rather generous assessment of his career path. He waited for her to continue.

"I will not perform the Cruciatus curse on my own students, no matter the consequences to myself! But…"

She cooled down a little.

"…I could pretend, maybe, if they knew to play along…"

"We could talk to Ginny," Remus suggested. "Get the resistance to put the word out among the students."

"But there are students who are loyal to the Death Eaters, we can't include them or they would tell Snape and the Carrows immediately."

"What happened before when you refused to torture a student?" Remus asked.

"They were sent to the Carrows, and, eventually, so was I. They were…brutal, sadistic…"

"I'm so sorry, Minerva."

"Thank you for not suggesting that I just go ahead and curse the ones who are loyal to the Death Eaters."

"I know better than that," Remus said. "But how often do those students need punishing?"

"All the time," Minerva scoffed. "You wouldn't believe…"

"I meant according to the current leadership."

"Oh. I see what you mean."

"Could it work?" Remus asked.

"I don't know," Minerva said. "It's better than what we've been doing, at least. Maybe we can outmaneuver the Carrows…"

"But Snape is another issue," Remus agreed.

"Well, I can't believe I'm saying this, but it really does seem sometimes like Snape is protecting the students."

"Do you really still think Dumbledore was right about him? Even after everything that's happened?"

"I don't know," Minerva said. "But I do think he knows something the rest of us don't. I'm willing to try it and see what he does, and I think the other teachers will too."

They had reached the door to the Burrow yet again. Music filtered out to them and they could see dancing figures through the windows. Bill and Fleur looked well practiced.

"I haven't been able to stop thinking about what happened the last time everyone was here together like this," Remus said, watching.

"You're not alone."

Remus caught the reference and turned to smile at her in appreciation.

"Neither are you. Would you like to dance, Minerva?"

"I thought you'd never ask," she said, taking his arm and letting him lead her inside. "I'll have you know, I could cut a rug in my day."

"Well, that's unfortunate, because I have two left feet, just ask Tonks." They shed their cloaks and joined the other couples in the small dining area. The table had been removed to make space.

"Then pay attention, maybe you'll learn something that will impress her later."

They caught the beat and began to move. At first Remus was only concerned with not stepping on Minerva's feet, but after a few minutes he began to loosen up and enjoy himself a little and even threw in a few spins. He watched Tonks dance by, sandwiched between Fred and George and performing a dramatic three person tango that completely mismatched the music. In lieu of a rose, Fred had a piece of dry spaghetti clutched in his teeth.

"Wotcher!" Tonks said, waving upside down at Remus and Minerva when Fred and George dipped her backwards in their direction. She had changed her hair to red and green.

Remus nearly admonished the three of them to be careful, but then he saw how tenderly the twins helped Tonks back onto her feet and stopped himself. A moment later they were strutting off again.

"It's wonderful to see her looking so happy," Minerva observed.

"It takes a lot to get her down," Remus said. In fact, the only time he had ever known her to be sad was during the months when he had foolishly insisted that they should not be together. It felt like a huge responsibility that so much of her happiness was connected to him.

"She's good for you, you know. You had to grow up too fast. She can teach you how to be young."

"I still can't figure out why she would pick me."

"I think I understand," Minerva said.

"Can I cut in?" Tonks asked before Minerva could elaborate, tapping Remus's shoulder. With much bowing and gallantry, Fred and George offered Minerva their arms.

"Were your ears burning?" Remus asked Tonks as they swayed in time with the music.

"Should they have been?"

"Minerva said you look happy."

"I am happy."

"She thinks she has a way to help the student resistance at Hogwarts."

"That's great."

"We can tell Ginny about it when we give her the map."

"Perfect. Can we just dance for now?"

"Sure."

He pulled her a little closer and she angled her body so she could rest her cheek against his collarbone. They stayed that way until the music ran out and the toasts began. Remus edged away for a moment, had a brief conundrum, and returned with pumpkin juice for both of them. Tonks was not fooled, but she gave him a smile of appreciation and took the glass he offered her.

Arthur took the floor first. Remus's circle had not crossed often with his since the coup and Remus was saddened to see that he had lost both weight and hair and gained dark circles under his eyes. But when he spoke his voice was strong and clear.

"Well, first of all, I would like to thank each and every one of you for coming tonight. These are difficult times, but I'm sure I speak for everyone when I say that knowing we have such great friends to count on makes it easier.

"Some days, it feels like this will never end, that the Ministry will be able to thwart any opposition we try to put up, so I would like to mention a few things we have achieved that make me think that this crisis will end. Feel free to shout out more.

"First of all, my daughter Ginny and her friends have organized a resistance to the influence of You-Know-Who at Hogwarts, despite the danger to themselves. So, to the Hogwarts resistance, be careful, and give them hell."

Everyone took a sip. Remus noted that Molly had teared up, though whether it was from pride or fear was difficult to say.

"Next, we all owe a debt to Kingsley Shacklebolt, who gave us the warning we needed when the Ministry fell last August and continues to use his influence to nudge the new regime away from its most brutal plans."

"As do you, Arthur," Kingsley interjected.

Arthur raised his arms, warding away the praise.

"To Kingsley and Arthur!" Minerva said. "The resistance within the Ministry."

"Thank you," Arthur continued. "Next, to Remus Lupin, Lee Jordan, Kingsley Shacklebolt, and everyone who has contributed to Potterwatch, the voice of information and reason that we so desperately need."

"To the person who comes up with a suitable alternative to calling You-Know-Who the Chief Death Eater," Lee interjected. "Please! I'm begging you."

Fred, George, Remus, and Tonks drank to that, at least.

"To Xenophilius Lovegood!" Bill continued. "For _The Quibbler_! Especially those funny little puzzles he puts in."

"To Dumbledore!" Remus added. "For having the foresight to bring us together."

Everyone drank deeply to that.

"To Ted and Andromeda Tonks, and most especially to Kreacher the House Elf," Arthur continued. "For finding a way to rescue Muggle-borns from the Ministry."

"To Tonks and Remus," Molly said. "For reminding us that life continues."

Remus self-consciously wrapped an arm around Tonks's shoulders while everyone drank to them.

"To Mad-Eye and all our fallen friends," Tonks said.

"To absent friends," Andromeda added.

"To Ron and Hermione," Bill continued.

"To Harry Potter," Ginny said.

Everyone drank.

After several moments of thoughtful silence, Arthur spoke up again.

"Anyone else? All right, good. Otherwise I'd need a refill. Thank you all, once again, for coming. Now will someone turn the music back on?"

The party lasted deep into the night.


	13. December 28th, 1997, 12:14 pm

**Chapter 13: December 28** **th** **, 1997, 12:14 pm**

Kreacher's talent for gardening was both impressive and surprising, Andromeda decided, watching the House Elf tend to his marigolds through the glass of her greenhouse. If he only showed the same interest in the vegetables she was trying to coax from the ground they might be able to live on the garden for a little longer, but alas he preferred his flowers. She once again considered asking him for help, or at least advice, but feared he would feel obligated to give it. He more than earned his keep by smuggling Muggle-borns out of the country, as still happened once every three or four weeks, and no one wanted to make him feel like a servant again.

Andromeda sighed and stood, reaching automatically but needlessly to knock the dirt from her knees. She considered herself an able gardener in fair weather, but even with a greenhouse no spell she knew would convince a plant that it wasn't winter when it had already felt a frost touch its leaves. The ratatouille she had contributed to the Weasley's party seemed to have been the garden's last gasp for the time being. Even multiplying the remaining food magically was not inexhaustible. There was nothing else for it; she would have to go shopping again.

Nymphadora and Remus were off visiting Bill and Fleur, ostensibly to get information from them about Ron since they had missed being able to talk to him in person, but it seemed to Andromeda that three hours was a long time to spend interrogating someone on that subject. She hoped that they had just made friends with the other couple. In any case, she had only Kreacher to tell where she was going, but he had watched the house admirably in the past and she left it in his care without trepidation.

Since it was still impossible to change her Galleons into Muggle pounds, Andromeda would have no choice but to Apparate to Diagon Alley to do her shopping. She would just have to be quick and careful, and since Nymphadora could not accompany her anymore, anyway, maybe it was better that she was not on hand at all. Trying not to over think things, Andromeda just picked up her shopping bags and left.

The first thing Andromeda did upon arriving in Diagon Alley was to detour past Weasley's Wizard Wheezes. She caught sight of Fred working on the window display and gave him a small wave, which he acknowledged. She would go past again before leaving.

That done, she hurried down the street, although she had to take care not to appear that she was hurrying. It was a delicate balance to strike, but, really, everyone she saw seemed to be in a rush. Andromeda also noted with unease that she was the only one in sight who was not in a group of at least three or four, or at least the only one who was mobile.

Numerous lone beggars knelt in doorways and alleys, most with signs proclaiming that they were wandless Muggle-borns. It made Andromeda's heart ache to walk past without acknowledging them, without offering all the gold in her purse, without slipping them a note explaining how to contact their smuggling operation. But she could hear Nymphadora's voice in her head warning her that helping them would only draw unwanted attention to herself. At worst, one of these beggars would turn out to be a Ministry operative in disguise. She had to walk on.

Inside Diggle's, the grocers, she immediately made for the dried goods, but those aisles were already well picked over and she had to range far to find anything of use. To make matters worse, the prices bordered on extortion, a bag of rice cost five times what it did before the coup, but she had the gold and they needed the food. And, since Deadalus was in the Order, she felt confident that he was only doing what was needed to keep his shop going. The prices would be worse elsewhere. She picked up two bags of rice and considered the remaining two as well, but decided that someone else might need them more than her. She asked a passing clerk when they expected to get more flour, but he only shrugged.

Canned vegetables, then. Apparently wizard kind had no great love for beets, but she knew several things to do with them and picked up ten jars. Nymphadora might complain, but it was almost the only thing left.

Meats stayed in the back of the store, and, thinking of Remus, she moved in that direction without much hope. Along the way, another shopper who had been examining a lone can of corn stepped away from the shelf and bumped into her.

"Pardon me," Andromeda said automatically, working past her, but then she looked properly and exclaimed, "Narcissa!"

"Andromeda!"

Belatedly, Andromeda realized that she may have miscalculated, and badly. This was only the second time she had visited Diagon Alley since the coup, and the second time she had run into Narcissa there. That defied statistics, and it seemed only slightly possible that Narcissa spent all her time in Diagon Alley. Much more likely she had been assigned to follow Andromeda.

"I'd been hoping to find you again!" Narcissa continued, in further support of Andromeda's hypothesis. "Can we talk?"

"Well…I'm expected back…"

"Please, just one cup of tea, or do you still prefer coffee? I'll buy."

Andromeda looked around. No one in the shop appeared to be watching them, but that did not mean that no one was. She could get snatched, or placed under Imperio, or slipped Veritaserum, forced to tell everything she knew about the Order and the resistance at Hogwarts and how Muggle-borns kept disappearing.

"It's Lucius, and Draco, they've gone too far," Narcissa continued. She looked disheveled, Andromeda noted. She had never seen her sister with so much as a hair out of place, not since she was four, not even when she was sick, and here she was in broad daylight with a missed button.

"Just let me pay for all this," Andromeda decided against her better judgment. At least Fred would raise the alarm if she didn't pass by his shop again in the next hour or two.

"Oh, thank you," Narcissa exclaimed with what looked to Andromeda like genuine relief.

They both saw to their groceries, then Narcissa led the way to a tea shop a few doors over. Andromeda ordered a cup of tea she knew she would not drink. She asked for earl grey to remind herself of that resolution, since she did not like that variety herself but it reminded her of Ted.

"Nymphadora and Remus Lupin are going to have a baby," Andromeda said immediately after the waiter left with their orders, before Narcissa had the chance to speak. It was a calculated statement, relatively innocuous and not really a secret, but if the prospect of a metamorphmagus and a werewolf having a child raised Narcissa's heckles then it would give Andromeda the perfect excuse to leave the conversation. She watched her sister's face carefully.

"Oh, you must be so excited! How is Nymphadora? I felt so sick all the time when I was pregnant with Draco."

"Er…yes, I am. And Nymphadora's fine, she's tough."

That was nothing like the reaction Andromeda had expected. Not even a flash of disgust or anger. And Andromeda had really been looking forward to getting to storm out.

"It's such a shame I've never gotten to meet her," Narcissa continued, taking a sip of the tea the waiter set in front of her. "Maybe someday."

Andromeda did not think that would be such a good idea, considering. She raised her own cup but only breathed in the scent. "Narcissa, aren't we enemies?" she simply had to ask.

"Do we have to be?" Narcissa asked, and she suddenly seemed much younger than her forty-odd years, more like the eight year old child Andromeda had tried to protect from Bellatrix, who somehow did not understand why she wasn't allowed another piece of candy.

And didn't they have to be enemies? Andromeda tried to explain why but had only false starts. Every argument that came to mind relied on the assumption that she and Lucius agreed about Voldemort and the Ministry's ideologies. On examination, that seemed a little too much like assuming that just because Nymphadora had married Remus it must mean that she also liked her meat at close to still alive as possible. Narcissa had been Andromeda's ally once, but now, if she was not a Death Eater herself, then she was the ideal Death Eater's wife, wasn't she?

"I guess that depends," Andromeda answered at last. "What did you want to talk to me about?"

"It's Lucius and Draco," Narcissa said. "The Dark Lord has not been pleased with them since Lucius's failure at the Department of Mysteries and Draco's failure to…" she dropped her voice "…to kill Dumbledore."

Andromeda nodded. This was not exactly common knowledge, but her association with the Order allowed her to make a few extrapolations.

"Lucius says he can't stand the bowing and scraping any longer," Narcissa continued. "He is determined to get back into the Dark Lord's inner circle."

Interesting how times had changed. Narcissa could talk about her association with Voldemort openly while Andromeda had to hide her allegiance to the Order.

"How does he plan to do that?"

"By capturing Harry Potter himself."

Andromeda had to think about how to react to that. In the end she decided to chuckle. "Every Death Eater and Snatcher has been trying to do that since Scrimgeour died. Why does he think he can succeed?"

"Because in a few days Draco will be back at Hogwarts, and so will Harry's girlfriend."

Andromeda nearly corrected her, but it was probably best not to display too much inside knowledge on that topic.

"So he's going to do what, threaten her? I've heard she can handle herself."

"Exactly." Andromeda could not tell if Narcissa was agreeing with her extrapolation of the plan or her assessment of Ginny.

"Why are you telling me this?"

"Why aren't you drinking your tea?"

"I'm worried you bribed the waiter to spike it with Veritaserum." Best to be honest here, Andromeda decided.

"I never even thought of it."

"Lack of foresight, that was always your problem," Andromeda said. "Why are you telling me this? Am I supposed to try and stop them? Warn somebody? What?"

"Help them," Narcissa said, and it actually looked like she was trying not to cry.

"Help them!" Andromeda exclaimed, finally realizing that she had completely misunderstood the tenor of this conversation. "You must be kidding. What I am supposed to do, anyway?"

"Can't Nymphadora do something? If they fail now the Dark Lord will lose patience with them completely," Narcissa sobbed. "He'll kill them."

That put a slightly different spin on it. Lucius she could do without, but Draco…he had lived with her for months; she had come to understand him, just a little. He didn't have to be the way he was.

"Is everything all right here?" the waiter asked, coming over.

Narcissa was unable to communicate. "We're fine," Andromeda answered.

"Is something wrong with your tea?"

"I just like the smell of it." She lifted the cup again to demonstrate.

He seemed skeptical but left.

"I am not going to help Draco threaten an innocent girl," Andromeda said. "And I can't help Lucius find Harry. No one knows where he is. So what's your plan, Narcissa?"

"I don't have one," Narcissa said, working to compose herself. "But if you succeed, I will make sure that whoever finds your husband shows mercy. And believe me, someone will find him eventually."

Again, a slightly different spin, and one that hit her like a punch to the chest. There were very few things that Andromeda wanted more than for Ted to come back safe and sound. But then again…

"Ted would never forgive me if I sacrificed Harry Potter for him. No deal." Andromeda stood. "Tell Draco to stop whatever he's planning, because I am going to find a way to warn Ginny, and she can definitely take him. You may want to write off Lucius. Thank you for the tea."

And she left.

And then she went back.

Some minutes later it would occur to her to be surprised that she had been allowed to leave.

The waiter had already taken her cup away and seemed unsure whether or not to bring it back. Andromeda waved him off.

Narcissa's sobs gradually diminished to hiccups. Andromeda passed her a napkin then sat back and waited. She could not remember breaking down like this herself since she was a child, not since she had discovered that room in the back of her head. Thinking about it, she had not seen that room recently.

Finally, Narcissa recovered enough to speak.

"Why are you still here if you're not going to help me?"

"I don't know," Andromeda said. "But you're my little sister. I couldn't just leave you like that."

"Well, you didn't, and now you can go."

Maybe she should, and yet…

"Have you tried talking to Lucius? Convincing him to stop?"

Narcissa shook her head. "He wouldn't listen even if I tried."

"What about Draco? He would do just about anything for you."

"Maybe that used to be true, but not anymore," Narcissa said. "He knows this is his last chance and he's terrified of failing. I've seen it since he got back home for winter vacation."

Andromeda understood. She hated to think of Nymphadora being afraid and in danger. It had taken tremendous self-control to support her decision to become an Auror, and if Nymphadora had not joined the Order of the Phoenix in secret Andromeda did not know how she would have reacted.

"I tried to convince him not to go back to school," Narcissa continued, staring at the table. "He wouldn't listen, nor Lucius."

She touched a cheek with one hand without seeming to realize it. Once more, a slightly different spin.

"What will happen to you if they fail?" Andromeda asked.

"I hadn't thought…" But now she did think. "Probably the Dark Lord will kill me too."

"Why don't you leave?"

"I couldn't do that, where would I go? They would only find me."

That was a tricky question, although as far as she knew Voldemort had not yet found Harry, not even Ted, who was far less skilled in Defense. It was possible to evade him, even inside the country, though try as she might Andromeda could not visualize Narcissa deep in the woods hunched over a fire.

"I have always wanted to visit Paris…"

"How would you get there?" Andromeda asked. "The borders are closed." Obviously, Andromeda could not reveal her smuggling operation, but Narcissa had been Kreacher's special favorite when they were children, maybe he would do her a favor. Or maybe Andromeda could obliquely suggest Narcissa ask one of her own House Elves for transportation, she no doubt had several.

"Only to the little people," Narcissa answered with an airy wave that immediately erased what little good will Andromeda had started to feel toward her.

"Let them eat cake. Is that it, Narcissa?"

"Hmm? Oh, what a wonderful idea! Waiter!"

Of course she wouldn't get the reference. Ill fated French monarchs must be below the contempt of a Death Eater's wife.

"I don't want cake, I'm going now," Andromeda said, getting to her feet. "I am going to find a way to warn Ginny about Lucius and Draco's plan, so you might want to get clear."

She left, and stayed away this time. Again, no one stopped her. It felt like a trap.

Neither twin was in the window when Andromeda passed by Weasley's Wizard Wheezes again, so she stepped inside, which she probably would have done anyway. She found George stacking boxes of edible Dark Marks.

"Andromeda!" he exclaimed when he spotted her. "Lovely seeing you again. How was your shopping trip?"

"I bumped into Narcissa."

"That's disgusting. We have a shower…"

Andromeda smirked at him. "I need to make sure I'm not being followed and don't have any kind of tracking spell on me."

George gave a deep bow. "At your service, m'lady." He gestured for her to follow him into the back of the store, still speaking. The rest of the place was deserted. "We're running a special on dark spell detection. And, today only, as a special offer for people whose last name start with 'T', we'll wash and press your robes for free. Tell your friends."

"Will you shine my shoes too?" Belatedly, now that she was out of danger, she was starting to feel a little shaky.

"Heavens no," Fred interjected, joining George in waving dark detectors all around her. "We charge exorbitant prices for our shoe shines."

"See if I come here again," Andromeda said with a dramatic sigh. "More's the pity."

"Nothing here," George decided after he finished waving his dark detector over her foot.

"I didn't see anyone tailing you," Fred added. "But sometimes they're sneaky."

"What did Narcissa want?" George asked.

"Help, apparently," Andromeda said. "But mostly she just wanted to talk."

George said nothing for several seconds, then started the dark detector up again, actually pressing it against Andromeda's skin this time.

"She said that Draco is planning to threaten your sister, and try and use her to get to Harry."

"Draco wants to threaten Ginny?" Fred asked.

Andromeda nodded, wishing there was a gentler way to put it. "You should-"

Both twins erupted in laughter.

Andromeda looked between them in surprise, trying to figure out what was funny.

"What I…" Fred snorted "…wouldn't give…"

"Did they find that tunnel…"

"Last year, Ron said."

"I guess we'll just have to wait for her to tell us the story."

"I'll bring the popcorn."

"I take it you're not concerned," Andromeda extrapolated.

"Not in the slightest," Fred said. "I've got half a mind not to warn her, that's the only way to make it anything close to a fair fight."

"Don't worry about Ginny," George added. "She learned her attitude from us and her spells from Harry. Old Moldy Shorts himself would think she was a handful."

"If you're sure," Andromeda said, thinking that she ought to pass her intelligence on to a few other people regardless.

"We're sure," George said. "You are officially clear of tracking spells. We have a lovely patio out back where you can Disapparate, unless we can interest you in one of our patented pygmy puffs?"

Some ten minutes later, having managed to avoid being upsold a pygmy puff, but gotten some distressing information in exchange, Andromeda Apparated back home, exchanged passwords with Kreacher (daisy and tomato), and passed inside with just barely enough time to put away her groceries before Nymphadora and Remus returned as well.

"How are Bill and Fleur?" Andromeda asked conversationally from the kitchen.

"Fleur still has trouble pronouncing the word 'idiot,'" Nymphadora replied, appearing in the doorway. "As in, 'Tonkz, you eedeeo, why would you take ze edge block?' Turned out she was right, though, knocked the whole thing over on my next turn, although that was actually Kung Fu's fault."

Andromeda had to think briefly to put the information together. "You were playing jenga?"

"Gremlin jenga," Nymphadora corrected. "It's like regular jenga, but the blocks randomly malfunction. Like they turn in place or stick to each other, or your fingers. Remus had to use his off hand for five rounds in a row because of that. Bill came up with it, and it's brilliant. Apparently if you don't let him break into a pyramid for long enough he turns into a bit of a mad genius. Did you go shopping?"

"The garden's had it for the winter, and we were almost out of everything," Andromeda replied, wondering if she was about to get scolded by her own daughter, but Nymphadora surprised her.

"Did you get anything good?"

"There wasn't much to choose from, all I could get was rice and canned beets."

"Ergh," Nymphadora muttered, actually looking a little sick. "Any other trouble?"

"I ran into Narcissa."

"Come again?" Nymphadora demanded, in a tone that indicated she had heard perfectly.

"She got me a cup of tea."

"AND YOU DRANK IT?!"

"No, of course I didn't. And I had Fred and George check me over, she didn't put a tracking spell on me or have me followed or anything."

Remus appeared next to Nymphadora in the doorway as she spoke.

"Then what did she want?"

"To tell me that Lucius and Draco are planning to try and get to Harry through Ginny," Andromeda said.

Nymphadora and Remus snorted simultaneously.

"I'd like to see them try," Nymphadora giggled.

"Fred and George said rather the same."

"Why would Narcissa tell you that?" Nymphadora asked.

Andromeda nearly spoke without thinking. "That's-" She had to choke the rest off.

But Nymphadora was too quick for that. "You almost told me to call her Aunt Narcissa, didn't you?"

Caught, Andromeda just nodded. "She wanted help. She knows they won't succeed and is desperate to find a solution that doesn't end with all three of them dead. I think Lucius hit her when she suggested something."

"Oh," Nymphadora breathed. Remus scratched at his arm compulsively. Andromeda knew how they felt; even from opposite sides of such a wide conflict it was impossible not to feel sympathy toward the victim of such senseless violence.

"I told her to leave the country, with or without them."

"Maybe she should. I'll make sure Ginny knows before she goes back to school, but she can handle herself."

"There's something else," Andromeda said, and she really did not want to relay this news. "Remus, Fred and George have been doing everything they can, but they don't know if they'll be able to find the ingredients they need to make the Wolfsbane this month."

Remus took it stoically. "What are they missing?"

"The Wolfsbane root itself."

He paced a bit, running a hand over his lips. "That's usually one of the easier ingredients to find, but it's not used in many other potions. Maybe the Ministry is restricting the supply, trying to drive any remaining werewolves into the open."

"Well you're not in the open," Nymphadora said, taking his hand. "There's still the shed."

"Yeah," he said, but Andromeda knew he hated that shed. "I'll tell Fred and George to stop looking for Wolfsbane, it will only get them in trouble now. I'll be fine."


	14. Lead

Author's Note: Trying to write a parallel story and follow the continuity of the original book is more difficult that I initially anticipated. A few disagreements with _Deathly Hallows_ did manage to make their way in, and this chapter probably contains the worst one. I hope you'll understand. It was for the story. Thanks for reading.

 **Chapter 14: Lead**

Despite her confidence that Ginny could handle anything that Draco Malfoy had in mind, Tonks did sit down immediately and engrave a warning in her false Galleon. She didn't have to wait long for a response.

 _G – Noted. N+L's coins work too, they came to visit._

Tonks had never worked out how to send messages to only selected coins, but that was just as well.

 _L – Hello!_

She wanted to meet this Luna, she seemed like a legend.

 _T – Just keep a lookout. He has thugs._

Tonks was not sure how often the young rebels would want to consult with her, so she was a little surprised when her coin got warm again on the very night the students returned to Hogwarts. It was while she, Remus, and Andromeda were eating a quiet dinner of rice and beets that Kung Fu did not appreciate. At least they still had a tidy store of spices on hand, but Tonks was only too eager to leave the table early.

 _N – We want to put the end of an_

 _N – Extendable Ear in the teacher's lounge._

 _N – Feed it through to the Room._

That was the type of plan Tonks could get behind.

 _T – Brilliant. If it works, do the Carrows' offices too._

There was a bit of a pause, and Tonks could almost see the three students smacking themselves in the head.

 _T – What's the plan?_

As it turned out, they didn't have much of one. No one among them had ever even seen the inside of the teacher's lounge. Fortunately, Tonks had an expert on hand who had spent a fair amount of time there and could describe the exact layout, or at least how it had been four years earlier. She tried to let the three of them work out a strategy for themselves, only injecting herself when one of them suggested something truly foolhardy, like Ginny's frustrated idea to just wait until the middle of the night and walk in.

It took them several days to case out the geography, but once they decided to feed an Extendable Ear from the Transfiguration classroom directly below, up through the floor to the spot behind the wardrobe, Tonks felt she had only one idea left to contribute.

 _T – String two Ears together and make the hearing_

 _T – end break away if it's found._

They saw the logic in that and decided to carry out their plan the following Saturday, when most of the school would be in Hogsmeade. Tonks hardly slept the night before. Every time she closed her eyes a new flaw that would end in the threesome's capture and torture intruded on her mind, and she eventually had to bury her coin in the laundry basket to make sure she wouldn't try to call off the operation entirely.

That morning, Tonks barely even touched her breakfast – rice with cinnamon, still not much appreciated, but she would have to try and choke it down for lunch – her mind instead on the moving parts at Hogwarts.

Around nine, everyone who could would start heading to Hogsmeade, and Ginny, Neville, and Luna planned to use this movement as cover. Ginny and Luna would perform the actual installation. If anyone caught them they would say they were waiting for McGonagall to give them a remedial Transfiguration lesson. Since Neville had dropped Transfiguration after his O.W.L.s he had no such excuse, so he would stand lookout in a hidden passage a short way down the hall. Since McGonagall would hardly punish them for the operation, in Ginny, Neville, and Luna's judgment, the largest danger was that another student would turn up for a genuine lesson and Ginny and Luna would have to sit through it. Tonks had argued that the two of them getting caught anywhere out of place together would be cause for suspicion, but since the only alternative was sending one in alone they had decided to go ahead anyway.

Tonks spent the whole morning alternately pacing and sitting with her coin clutched tight between her palms. More than once she thought she felt it grow warm with Neville's warning, but each time it was only the heat from her hands. Remus seemed to catch her tension and sat vigil with her, knee bouncing. Her mother was taking her nerves out on the frozen garden. Even Kreacher was not immune: he offered to go and fetch Miss Ginny back from school himself. Tonks genuinely appreciated the sentiment, but thought that made a better last resort since it would cause more problems than it solved.

Finally, _finally_ , the coin warmed of its own volition. Tonks lifted it, momentarily panicked when she tried to read the blank side, then saw the message.

 _G – Amycus prefers his filet minion rare. Who knew?_

Tonks more or less collapsed onto the sofa with relief, patted Kung Fu on whatever part of him was facing forward at the time, and passed the coin over to Remus. It was hardly the sort of information they were looking for, but it was a sign of things to come.

Remus was a long moment in handing the coin back. She had to give him a nudge.

"You still thinking about that steak?" she asked when she had his attention again.

He only nodded and swallowed, he had navigated the first full moon in months without Wolfsbane only a few days earlier. Tonks gripped his shoulder in sympathy, discovered that her own hand was still shaking, and drew her wand to etch a response.

 _T – Nice work. I'll expect regular reports,_

 _T – but take the rest of the day off, troops._

With that, Tonks sagged back on the sofa again, contemplating just how much she preferred field work to command. How did Kingsley stand it, sending Aurors out into terrible danger, having to stay behind and keep track of the big picture, too far away to make a difference if things went south? For several minutes she could hardly believe what she had done. Sending two underage witches on a mission that would see them tortured or worse if they were caught, what had she been thinking? And for what? Amycus's lunch order? The fact that they had volunteered and even designed the plan had little to do with it, Tonks had encouraged them, and if things went wrong she would be a couple words on a fake coin at best, completely unaware until it was too late at worst.

The coin grew warm again and Tonks's heart more or less flipped over.

 _G – Alecto prefers cottage pie._

 _G – And Dementors in Dark Arts class._

 _N – Real ones._

 _L – I've always wanted to try out my Patronus on a real Dementor._

Luna had astonishingly small handwriting.

 _T – When?_

She felt sure she already knew the answer.

 _G – Monday._

Yep.

 _N – First years have the class in the morning._

Those poor buggers, stuck in this perversion of Hogwarts with no notion of what it was supposed to be like. They would make a great snack for the Dementors.

"How long would you say an average witch or wizard could maintain a Patronus?" Tonks asked Remus. He snapped to attention immediately. "With Dementors around, I mean."

"A few minutes?" Remus guessed. "Maybe an hour if there aren't many Dementors, and they aren't focusing on the caster."

"That's it?"

"What? How long can you keep one going?"

"Until I fall asleep, at least if I can get it off before they get their creepy fingers in my head," Tonks replied, then amended, "I've had training, though."

"Who needs to know?" Remus asked with obvious trepidation.

"All the first years in Hogwarts will probably be pretty interested by the time they get to Defense…er, Dark Arts class on Monday morning."

"No first year could learn the Patronus charm, especially not in a day and a half. A seventh year would have trouble."

"I know."

The coin warmed again.

 _G – T?_

"We could send ours…" Remus suggested.

"Really? You could send your massive, wolf of a Patronus blindly to a classroom in Hogwarts with forty people in it and hide it under a desk without anyone seeing?"

"I've spent some time in that classroom, you know."

"I know, sorry."

"No, I'm sorry, you're right. Anyway, if Snape sees our Patronuses he'll recognize them immediately and know we're helping."

"I didn't even think of that."

 _G – ?_

"What are you going to tell them?" Remus asked.

"To send theirs," Tonks decided. "Them and every other trustworthy student who already knows how to cast a Patronus."

She settled in. This was going to take some explaining.

* * *

By the time Monday morning arrived, they had a detailed plan, about twenty upper classmen capable of sending a Patronus to a remote location, a student with a false coin in each Defense class that day, and very little sleep to speak of. Immediately after breakfast, half of the Patronus casters would lodge their charms under the desks in the Dark Arts classroom. The student with the coin would monitor the Patronuses as much as possible and send a message if one risked exposure or started to weaken. Tonks and Remus would monitor the situation through Tonks's coin, and if they judged that things were getting out of hand they would send their own Patronuses and attempt to overpower the Dementors entirely. After the first class ended, the second shift of Patronus casters would take over, giving the first set a needed break, and on and on through the day, and for however many days the Carrows decided to keep the Dementors around.

That was the plan at least. It broke down almost immediately.

The first class of the day started at nine in the morning. At 8:59 by the clock on the Tonkses mantelpiece the coin grew warm.

 _Whose is the bunny?_

That was Luna's, a great, floppy eared furball according to Ginny's description. What was wrong with it? Tonks already had her wand drawn, though she had never expected to have to go to the backup plan so soon.

 _One of the Slytherins found it._

Because of the uncertain loyalties of Slytherin house, no member had been brought in on the plan, and now it looked like that precaution might doom all of the first years.

 _She won't put it back!_

 _L – Don't worry, it's quite tame. I find holding it very comforting._

Tonks read Luna's message in astonishment, then showed it to Remus. His expression matched hers. Were they really about to trust this unknown student to bluff Alecto about a plan she didn't even know? Did they have a choice?

 _N – Keep going!_

They waited several minutes but got no response from the first year. The clock read 9:07 and Tonks thought she knew what had happened: the poor students had just seen a Dementor for the first time.

Several more minutes.

 _N – Talk to me Winston._

Several more minutes. The next message came through slowly and barely legible.

 _W – I wish I had a Patronus to hold too._

 _N – It's an albatross under your desk, right?_

 _W – Yes._

 _N – That one's mine._

 _W – It's a good one._

 _N – How's the Slytherin doing?_

 _W – Carrow saw her, but Zoe thinks it's a normal rabbit._

 _W – Told him she found it and is going to keep it._

 _L – I wish I had one for a pet too._

 _N – Carrow couldn't tell the difference?_

 _W – He's too distracted by the Dementor._

 _W – What time is it?_

 _T – 9:15. Hang in there, you're doing great._

Tonks wished she could say the same about herself. Kung Fu was starting to catch her tension and she had to try some deep breathing to calm down. Remus noticed and sat her down on the sofa so he could rub her shoulders. She submitted to this, still hating every second that she was not in the action.

The plan continued smoothly enough after that, with Winston only occasionally having to guide the casters in how to tuck their Patronuses more fully under cover and the first years no doubt learning all the many virtues of Dementors while trying not to get the souls sucked out of them. But with only fifteen minutes left to go, Winston sent another panicked message.

 _W – The bunny is fading!_

 _W – Zoe already noticed._

 _W – Carrow will too!_

There was a brief pause, then:

 _G – Luna can't recast without letting the first one go._

 _G – It'll be obvious when it happens._

 _N – W, can you cause a distraction?_

 _W – Please don't make me._

Tonks caught Remus's eye and raised her wand. A pair of silver wolves bursting into the Dark Arts classroom would make a hell of a distraction, in her opinion. But then her coin warmed again.

 _G – L and I are on our way._

Tonks's heart sank, had Ginny already forgotten the threats against her?

 _N – There are patrols!_

 _G – We have a note from Flitwick._

Oh, fantastic, a note.

At least the Charms classroom wasn't too far from Dark Arts. In only a couple minutes Winston etched:

 _W – They're here._

 _N – Play along._

Nothing, for the longest minutes Tonks had ever known. Then:

 _B – It worked. Zoe got a new Patronus._

 _N – Who are you?_

 _B – Brian. Ginny said she was there to fetch Winston._

 _B – He left me the coin._

 _N – But it worked? There are only a few minutes left._

The next two messages came in such quick succession that they nearly erased each other.

 _B – The rabbit disappeared!_

 _G – Luna, where did you go?_

Half a second later:

 _D_

That was all Tonks needed to hear. She and Remus sent their Patronuses immediately.

Though the ragtag defenders forced themselves to prepare for the next class, it seemed that the Carrows were unable to coax another Dementor into the Dark Arts classroom after the treatment the first one had suffered. That was lucky, because after the talking to that Snape gave the school instead of lunch – Tonks felt sure less that than half of it was relayed to her, but she got the idea – it took Tonks, Neville, Ginny, and Winston most of the rest of the day to sort through what had happened.

Ginny had entered the classroom and did the talking while Luna stayed in the doorway to recast her Patronus and watch Ginny's back. Ginny had kept Carrow busy until she saw that Luna's Patronus had reformed, then took Winston and left. By the time they turned back to the door Luna was not there anymore, but Ginny assumed she had gone ahead, at least until she searched the nearby hallways without finding her. No one had seen her since, and the most telling sign was the way her Patronus had disappeared, particularly after she had proved herself able to maintain it for the majority of the class. Luna had lost her wand or been knocked unconscious, perhaps both, and according to Ginny's copy of the Marauder's Map, she was no longer on school grounds.

Tonks thought about asking if Draco seemed particularly smug that afternoon, but decided that she already knew the answer. It took all her self control to wait until her mother's students had left before confronting her. The very moment the door shut behind Mark and his mother, she shouted, "You were played!"

"What are you talking about, Nymphadora?" Andromeda asked calmly.

"Luna's been snatched! She's gone! Disappeared! Right out of Hogwarts! Because she was looking out for Ginny!"

"Tonks, you should-"

"I will not be calm right now!" Tonks shouted at Remus with more venom than he deserved.

"That's not what I-"

Tonks cut over him.

"Tell me exactly what Narcissa told you."

"I already did. Draco was to get Ginny under his control so Lucius could use her to draw out Harry," Andromeda said. "Who is Luna?"

"One of the other original Hogwarts resistance members," Tonks said. "I've never met her, but Ginny says she's the sweetest, strangest person she's ever met."

"Why would they be interested in her over Ginny?"

Tonks recognized that her mother was trying to coax her into using logic, but she was so far off base that it was not even worth laughing at.

"Because they're Death Eaters and he's Harry! If Harry thinks someone is in danger because of him, he will come to his or her defense, he's an idiot that way. And Luna was the easier target since we were distracted with trying to protect Ginny, thanks to you."

"You're blaming me?"

"Sure sounds like I am."

"How do you think things would have gone differently if I hadn't run into Narcissa?"

"Luna would have been watching her own back instead of Ginny's!"

"Do you really think Luna wasn't keeping an eye out for herself too?" Remus asked. "I met her as a second year. She's flighty, but brilliant when she needs to be, and Harry taught her everything he taught Ginny."

"Maybe the plan was to take Ginny," Andromeda offered. "But when Draco saw she was too well protected he decided to use Luna instead. Hell, maybe this had nothing to do with Draco and Lucius's plan at all."

"It still shouldn't have happened," Tonks said, losing steam.

"I only brought you the information. You decided how to act on it."

Tonks already knew that. This was her first major operation as a commander and she had bungled it.

"I have to fix this." She went to get her cloak from the front closet. It no longer fit correctly, but she liked it too much to stretch it out.

"What are you going to do?" Andromeda asked. "You don't even know where they took her."

"True, but I know the punk who does."

"What if Draco doesn't know?"

"He knows."

"Fine, say he knows and he tells you. Then what are you going to do?"

"Break the place open and rescue her."

"By yourself?"

"Why not?"

"Why not!" Andromeda exclaimed. "Nymphadora, how can you keep forgetting?"

"I'm not forgetting anything! I'll be careful!"

"You're not an Auror anymore! You haven't been since August!"

"Yes I am!" She would always be an Auror, she would always fight dark magic, she would always protect the people who could not defend themselves. That was who she was. Temporary details like the fall of the Ministry and her own pregnancy had nothing to do with it. "This is my responsibility!"

"You cannot fight right now. I will stop you if you try to leave." Andromeda said it with such low menace that for a moment she looked more like Bellatrix than she had when actively trying to impersonate her.

"How do you think you'll do that?" Tonks growled.

"I'll think of something, Nymphadora."

"How many times have I asked you not to call me that!"

"All right, that's enough!" Remus burst out. "Corners, both of you!"

"Stay out of it!" Tonks and Andromeda shouted at him simultaneously.

A lesser man would have complied. Remus John Lupin swayed on his feet under the onslaught but otherwise held his ground.

"I said corners." He disappeared into the kitchen and returned with a timer. "You're both taking a five minute cooling off period, no talking, no exceptions. Anyone who has a problem with that gets hit with a silencing charm and has her feet glued to the floor. Understood?"

If that was the way he wanted to be, Tonks decided. She could use the time to think of a few more arguments. It was about time her mother realized that Tonks was an adult and would make her own decisions and take her own risks.

Three minutes had elapsed, but it felt like ten. Maybe Remus had doctored the timer when he was out of the room, which would not surprise her. Wasn't he supposed to be on her side?

Four minutes. How were Ginny and Neville holding up? Worse than Tonks was, in all likelihood. And what about poor, stolen Luna? A dark dungeon somewhere? A cage? Torture? Azkaban? Tonks glanced at her coin again. It still had the same message from an hour ago: _G – Luna, where are you?_

"Time," Remus said.

Tonks turned around, trying to work herself back into a fighting mood, but only part of her was interested, and the rest gave up when she saw her mother standing across the room with tears running down her cheeks.

"I'm sorry, Ny- Tonks," Andromeda said before Tonks could react. "I should have guessed Narcissa was trying to trick me. It's all she does."

"I…uh…" For Merlin's sake, she wanted to be angry! "Maybe she wasn't, maybe Lucius tricked her…"

"Could be."

"I am an Auror, though. Still. Always."

"I know that, but it worries me that you put yourself in so much danger."

"That's my job, and I'm good at it, Mum."

"I know that too."

"Luna was under my command when she was taken," Tonks said, a little surprised to find her tone sounding so reasonable. "I have to do something to help her. It's my responsibility."

"What do you have in mind?" Andromeda asked.

"I don't know," Tonks admitted, hating the feeling of defeat that coursed through her. "She could be anywhere."

She tried, really tried, to think of something, anything she could do for Luna at this point, but she needed some kind of idea where they had taken her. Ginny and Neville had sworn to find out what they could at Hogwarts, so what could Tonks do, who could she talk to?

"There's one very specific thing I remember about Luna from when I was her Defense professor," Remus said into the silence. "For the final exam, I gave all the classes an obstacle course filled with dark creatures and curse traps, with different levels of difficulty for the different years. One of the things they had to do was navigate a misty swamp without being misled by a Hinkypunk. Luna never made it through that obstacle, but everyone in her class who went through after her had an easier time. I had to go in and look for her after the test was over. It turned out that she had followed the Hinkypunk back to its lair on purpose. I found her sitting next to it on a log. They had worked out some rudimentary communication and were swapping stories. I couldn't believe it."

"I hope you gave her full marks," Tonks said.

"I made her take the rest of the test first, but yes," Remus said. "She handles a Boggart like no one I've ever seen. My point is that Luna can take care of herself at least as well as Ginny can, but in her own way."

"Oh no."

"What?" Remus and Andromeda demanded at once, reminding Tonks that she had to be careful about making that sound these days.

"I have to tell Luna's father what happened."

They both looked slightly let down.

"Just as long as you don't end up going on some hair-brained chase at the same time," Andromeda ventured.

"I'll take Remus if it'll make you feel better," Tonks said. "He knows how to keep his head on."

"It's nice to be appreciated," Remus said.

"Oh, sorry. Would you like to go visit Xenophilius with me?"

"Absolutely."

"Then we should get going. All of Hogwarts already knows what happened by now, and probably most Death Eaters. I want to make sure he hears it from me."

* * *

"Thank you for stopping us," Tonks said to Remus as they progressed up the plant-lined walk to the Lovegood's house. "When my Mum and I get going… Anyway, my Dad usually has to make us see reason."

"Don't mention it," Remus said. "I wish I'd stepped in sooner. Your hair had turned black."

"That hasn't happened in a while." They had reached the door.

"Do you want to do the talking?" Remus asked.

"You were her teacher, I've never even met her. Feel free to chime in whenever you like."

Lacking passwords with Xenophilius, they both drew wands instead, just in case. Tonks reached out and knocked.

There were some shuffling noises from inside, then Xenophilius called, "Who's there?"

"Mr. Lovegood, it's Nymphadora Tonks and Remus Lupin," Tonks replied. "We're friends of the Weasleys. You might remember us from Bill and Fleur's wedding."

Xenophilius threw the door open at once. "Of course!" he exclaimed. "Come in! I so rarely get visitors."

"Oh…thank you," Tonks said as she and Remus stepped inside, trying not to smell a trap. No one just let someone else into their house anymore.

"Miss Tonks, if you don't mind my saying so, you appear to be infested with a snargaluff. You are quite fortunate, those are most rare."

"It's a baby, actually. Still count myself lucky, though."

"Oh. My congratulations." He sounded a little disappointed. "Can I get you both some tea?"

"Actually, can we just talk?" Tonks asked. "I'm sorry to tell you…"

But he hurried off to the kitchen anyway, leaving Tonks and Remus standing uncomfortably in the drawing room while a man who had no idea of the terrible news that was coming to him played host for its messengers.

While they waited, Tonks noticed that the whole structure seemed to be vibrating slightly. By the time Xenophilius returned with the tea, Remus had traced it to the floor above.

"The printing press," Xenophilius explained, deducing what had their attention. "Readership has increased a hundredfold since the Ministry fell."

"For good reason," Remus said.

"I can hardly keep up," Xenophilius replied. "Please sit down, have some tea. It's my own blend."

Tonks picked up the cup he set in front of her, but would have set it back down again after taking a first tentative sniff even if Kung Fu had not made his own distaste clear by kicking her in the kidney. Remus managed only a sip before placing his cup back in its saucer as well.

"Mr. Lovegood, I'm afraid we're the bearers of bad news," Tonks began. "I've been in contact with Luna and her friends at Hogwarts, guiding them in how to be a more effective resistance."

"Of course. Luna is quite devoted to her friends, you know."

"I do get that impression," Tonks agreed. "Today, she and the others were helping to protect some of the younger students, and…I'm sorry Mr. Lovegood, but…Luna disappeared."

Xenophilius took a deep, contemplative swallow of his tea, then said, "Disappeared?"

"I'm afraid so."

"Have you looked everywhere? She liked to play hiding games as a child, you know. She once hid in the sofa you are now sitting on for an entire afternoon."

"We have reason to think she's no longer at Hogwarts," Remus said.

"Why would she leave school? Her friends are there."

"We don't think she left willingly," Tonks said. "We think Death Eaters may have taken her."

"Ah."

Tonks caught eyes with Remus and knew at once that he was thinking the same as her: Xenophilius seemed much less surprised at that news than either one of them had expected.

"I'm afraid that we don't have any clues about where she might be right now," Remus said. "But we'll do everything we can to find her."

And how much was that, Tonks thought, feeling impotent.

Xenophilius set his empty cup down with a shaking hand.

"What are they going to do to her?" he asked.

Tonks didn't know, couldn't answer.

"Whatever they do, she has the ability to withstand it," Remus said. "I had the privilege of teaching her Defense Against the Dark Arts for a year, and I can tell you with confidence that she didn't need to learn a single thing in that class. She doesn't need defense because she is immune to the Dark Arts."

Tonks could think of a spell or two that she didn't think Luna would be immune to but chose not to mention them.

Xenophilius stood up and went to the window. Apparently his emotional state was on a slow burn.

"We'll tell you immediately if we hear anything about Luna," Tonks assured him. "Is there anything else we can do for you, Mr. Lovegood?"

Before Xenophilius could answer, a pitch black owl winged up to the window and perched on the ledge. He opened the window and took the letter, opened it and removed something out of the fold in the paper, read the message, and passed it to Tonks.

 _We have your daughter. If you want to see her again you will follow our demands._

The signature was just a drawing of the Dark Mark. Tonks handed the letter to Remus.

"It had a lock of Luna's hair in it," Xenophilius said, holding up the blond strands.

"What are their demands?" Tonks asked, guessing that he had received related communications.

"That _The Quibbler_ fall in line with the _Daily Prophet_." He sounded hopeless.

"I can't tell you what to do," Tonks said. "But you should take this as a sign that Luna is alive and being cared for. I promise we will do everything we can to find her."

"She wouldn't want me to change _The Quibbler_."

"I can't tell you what to do," Tonks repeated. She was starting to feel out of her depth and gave Remus a nudge. He was still studying the letter.

"Hmm?"

"Pay attention," she muttered to him, taking the letter out of his hands and placing it on the table. To Xenophilius she added, "Is there anything we can do for you? Someone we can contact?"

"Just…just Luna, she's all I have." He scrubbed at his cheeks.

"We could stay here for awhile, if you like."

"No, no that's not necessary," Xenophilius said, getting up and moving toward the door. "I need to think."

That only made the next thing Tonks had to say all the more difficult, but at this point it was that or the toxic looking bushes outside.

"Mr. Lovegood, could I use your bathroom?"

"What? Oh, upstairs and to the left."

"Thank you."

Afterwards, she met Remus and Xenophilius again at the door. It looked like they had not spoken to each other in her absence. Some sort of change had come over Remus when he saw that letter, but Tonks was at a loss to explain it.

"Thank you," she said again to Xenophilius. "I promise, the moment we hear anything…"

"Yes, thank you for your…"

But he seemed unable to think of something to thank them for. In the end he just left the sentence unfinished, shrugged, and closed the door behind them. Tonks hated leaving him like that, yet one more deficiency in her brief tenure as a general.

Remus, meanwhile, continued his silent spell as they made their way back down the walk.

"What's the matter?" Tonks finally had to ask him. She could think of several possibilities.

"Pettigrew wrote that letter," he said.

"You're sure?"

"I recognized his handwriting."

"So will you be going after him now? Because I promised my Mum no hair-brained schemes."

"I'll choose my moment," Remus said.

When Tonks and Remus returned home, she let Remus handle the passwords, lacking the heart herself. The moment the door opened she threw herself into her mother's arms.

"I'm sorry for what I said."

"I know, it's all right, I'm sorry too," Andromeda murmured, patting Tonks's hair.

"I miss Dad."

"I miss him too."

They stood that way for several minutes, until Tonks finally had to ask, "Did you feel that?"

"I did," Andromeda replied. "Total sucker punch, right in the guts."

"He likes to get in the last word."

"I understand why you call him Kung Fu."

"Oh, that was nothing."

"I know, I remember when it was you."

* * *

"Pettigrew made a big mistake," Tonks said as she and Remus settled into bed that night.

"How so?"

"He sent us Luna's hair."

Remus froze half way through swinging his feet onto the bed.

"Do you have a plan?"

"Not yet. But Polyjuice does sound like a nice touch."

"Well, Ginny would take it on in a second, but we can't ask her. Do you think Fleur would do it?"

"She impersonated Harry," Tonks said. "But it would only work if she doesn't have to speak, unless there's a potion that changes someone's accent."

"Not that I know of, but I wouldn't be surprised if Fred and George have something that'll work."

Tonks dozed off with the false Galleon in her hand, still sorting through any possible advantages she could think of that would help them find Luna. In the small hours she realized that the coin had been weakly warming throughout the night. She sat up, lit her wand, and studied it. The receiving side had gained a messy vertical scratch that had not been there the last time she looked.

"Everything all right?" Remus asked groggily, sitting up himself. He had recently become more attentive to her movements at night.

Tonks passed him the coin and held her wand so he could see by its light.

"Does that look like the beginning of a letter to you?" she asked.

"Maybe, do you think Luna scratched that?"

"No one else has been using the coins, just in case she managed to get a message out. Plus anyone with a wand would be able to write much faster. The last thing someone wrote was asking her where she was."

"So you think she's trying to answer?"

"I'm hoping she is."

"Then let's hope she can write out some more. Lots of letters have a vertical bar."

But by morning Luna had not managed to add much more to her message, just part of a diagonal bar.

"Come on, don't give up," Tonks whispered to the coin, as if Luna could hear her. "We're trying to find you, I promise."

If only they knew where to look.


	15. Edward Theodore Tonks

**Chapter 15: Edward Theodore Tonks**

 **June 5th, 1950 - March 2nd, 1998**

They got him in the deep snow beneath a cherry tree in Scotland.

But they didn't get Dean.

Ted made sure of it.


	16. The werewolf actively seeks humans

**Chapter 16: The werewolf actively seeks humans in preference to any other kind of prey**

Remus had experienced plenty of full moons without the Wolfsbane potion in his life, but when his mind came back and he found himself lying naked on the cold dirt that made the floor of the potting shed, his injuries still surprised him and he had to lie still for several minutes to take stock. He was on his splinter filled right side with the lower arm stretched out in front of him and could see two, no three missing fingernails and a deep scratch from wrist to elbow. The other arm was pinned behind him and briefly refused to budge. At first he suspected a dislocated shoulder, but when he finally made contact with the appendage and got it in front of him he found that he had bitten himself instead, twice. The twin sets of puncture wounds were swollen and weeping blood and he could barely move his hand. No matter, he was already a werewolf. He sat up and had to wait for his head to stop spinning. More scratches on his ribs, splinters in his feet, missing toenail. He had meant to sand the wood inside the shed, but it had mattered less after Fred and George's success with the Wolfsbane, and even after they could no longer find the ingredients there had always been other priorities. Remus stood and felt a phantom pain in his spine. Had he bitten his tail? Idiot wolf, how was he supposed to heal that?

The clothes he had neatly folded and stacked the night before were ripped and scattered in the corners of the shed, and he'd had few enough sets of clothes to start with. The shirt looked beyond repair. Actually, half of it was missing. The pants had a long tear in one leg from ankle to mid thigh, but they would get him inside at least. Fortunately, he'd learned long ago to leave his shoes outside after once having to invent a pet dog to explain the bite marks. He struggled into the mangled pants one handed and wrapped the remnants of his shirt around the bites on his arm.

"Tonks?" he called through the locked door.

No response. She usually waited right outside, even when he asked her not to, but maybe she had stepped away for a minute. Remus listened, knocked, listened, heard nothing.

"Tonks, are you out there?"

Still nothing. He touched the boards on the side of the shed where Tonks usually leaned to see if they felt warm, but if there was a difference between that spot and the rest of the wall his hand was too numb to feel it. If it was that cold inside the shed then maybe it was best that she had gone inside the house, it would help no one if she got sick, but it did leave him in a bit of a predicament. He knocked at the spot all the same, just in case. No response.

"Andromeda?"

What had distracted them?

Remus turned to the door again. As a bachelor he had invented a complicated unlocking mechanism for his cellar door that he would not be able to manage as a wolf, but he had always worried that he would either defeat it anyway through sheer dumb luck or else break it and be unable to let himself out the next morning. The current strategy of having Tonks lock him inside magically was much better from a security standpoint, but it also meant that he really had no chance of breaking out by himself. He tried it anyway; he had done some math and found something new to concern him. It was still early yet, but not that early. What if, just what if, she had gone into labor and he was missing, or had already missed, the birth of his child because he was stuck in this stupid potting shed?

"KREACH-"

The door opened and Remus nearly fell on top of Andromeda. She was holding out his wand for him, but must have seen something, probably multiple things, about him that made her hesitate before giving it back.

"What happened? Where's Tonks?"

"I sent her inside, it was too cold," Andromeda replied, looking him over. Remus double checked his modesty. "She's asleep on the sofa. Are you all right?"

Remus had gotten too deep in his own head for that; he had to see for himself. He squeezed past Andromeda, quick footed it along the frozen path between her dead garden and Kreacher's flourishing flowers, and bolted into the living room. It was as Andromeda had said; Tonks was asleep on the sofa, buried beneath a thick blanket. Remus dropped to his knees in front of her, placed a hand on her protruding belly and kissed her purple hair, assuring himself that everything was as he had left it. She stirred and stretched under his attentions.

"Morning," Tonks said when she saw him. "You okay? How was it?"

No point answering that question.

"I just…when there was no one outside the shed I started to worry that…"

"Everything's fine," Tonks assured him, reaching out to stroke his cheek. "You've got a new scratch here."

"Don't touch it," Remus said, drawing back.

"I know. What happened to your shirt?"

"I think I might have eaten some of it," Remus said, holding up the remains, which still covered the wounds on his arm.

"Delicious. You might want to do something about that, and let my Mum take a look at whatever you're hiding under there."

"Bit myself," Remus explained.

"Sorry we didn't have a steak for you to take in with you."

"It's fine, I'll just go clean myself up. Sorry for waking you."

"Sorry for not being there when you woke up."

"Don't be."

"We could run a string to a bell in here."

"Go back to sleep."

"Nah, I'm gonna have this figured out by the time you get back."

* * *

True to her word, by the time Remus returned, showered, patched up, and fully clothed, Tonks had built a bell, hung it over the mantelpiece, and strung a line from it out to the shed. He found Kreacher eying the contrivance with great mistrust and had to spend a few minutes explaining its intended purpose and assuring him that would never be used to summon a House Elf.

"Kreacher doesn't like your bell," Remus told Tonks when he joined her in the dining room, where she was mournfully contemplating a bowl of rice and beets.

"Oh!" Tonks exclaimed, clapping a hand to her forehead. "Of course he wouldn't! What was I thinking? I could make it a light or something…"

"He would still know what inspired it," Remus said. "Would you mind if I just take it down until the next full moon?"

"Sure, but I can do it…"

"I'll do it, you finish your breakfast."

"Do I have to?" Tonks asked. "Would you like the rest?"

"I think I filled up on shirt, actually," Remus said. "Any word about Luna?"

Tonks fished the coin from her pocket and slid it across the table to him. As near as they could tell, Luna had actually succeeded in writing something out over her many weeks in captivity, but she must have been doing so in darkness. Her marks had spread over the entire face of the coin, and of course whenever she lost track of which direction had been up she had no reliable way of finding it again. Remus rotated the coin in front of him, trying to piece together what Luna was trying to write. There were vertical bars, short diagonal lines in both directions, arcs, all the components that made up letters, but no way of saying how they were supposed to combine.

"Is this an M, do you think?" Remus asked.

"Probably."

"Something about the Ministry?"

"Or the Malfoys," Tonks said.

Remus thought it over while he took down and stored the bell. Really, they needed Luna to give write out a shorter version more cleanly to be sure, but it seemed much more likely that she was being held at the Malfoy's house than the Ministry, if for no other reason than because Voldemort would prefer the Ministry to have some plausible deniability when it came to holding sixteen year old pureblood witches captive. Plus there was Pettigrew to consider. Try as he might, Remus simply could not envision that excuse for a man skittering around the halls of the Ministry, particularly considering their current stance on Animagi.

Remus found Andromeda upstairs in Ted's study, reading _The Count of Monte Cristo_ before she had to begin her class. She set it aside as his knock.

"Sorry for panicking this morning," he began.

"It's understandable," Andromeda replied. "No one thinks clearly when they're just waking up."

Remus thought that was an interesting way to put it. He had never actually been asleep, after all.

"Do you know Narcissa Malfoy's address?" he asked.

"I don't think…wait."

She got up and went to her bedroom. Remus followed her as far as the hallway and stood studying a picture of a much younger Tonks with her parents while he waited. Andromeda returned with an envelope and nearly handed it over, but then stopped herself.

"Why do you want to know?"

"For future reference," Remus said. "If it turns out Luna is being held there, we might need to move quickly."

"Who's we?"

"I meant the Order in general."

She eyed him speculatively but gave him the envelope. Remus memorized the return address, a place in Salisbury, Wiltshire.

"I take it you've never been there?"

Andromeda shook her head and took back the envelope. "Just don't do anything stupid."

At the time, Remus genuinely did not think that what he had in mind was stupid. Maybe he really was still waking up.

When he got downstairs, Tonks had moved back to the sofa and was sitting slouched with a comic book balanced on her stomach.

"Going somewhere?" she asked, watching him pull on his cloak.

"Just out," he replied, inwardly apologizing, but if she knew where he was going she would insist on coming along. "Do you need anything?"

"Large pizza, everything on it."

"You got it."

"Wait a minute, I'll come too." She started to get to her feet, but that had lately become a complicated process. He had to restrain the usual impulse to lend an arm.

"No, no, stay where you are, I'll be back soon."

"Why the secrecy, Remus? My birthday isn't until the summer...although if you feel like getting yourself a surprise present, that would take some of the heat off me."

A gift – for Tonks, no matter what she said – would make a fine excuse, thinking of it, although when he felt surreptitiously in his cloak all he found was a lone sickle, and Weasley's Wizard Wheezes was probably the only shop in all of England that would sell him something. Still, he could stop by on the way back, but first he really had to clamp eyes on Malfoy Manor.

"It was a rough transformation last night," Remus said. "I just need a walk."

"If you're sure," Tonks replied. "Just keep your wand handy, all right? And your ears open, if you can."

"Of course. Back soon." That was why he was doing this, after all. Because he saw how much it tortured Tonks that Luna had disappeared on her watch and that she could do nothing to fix it. He recognized the comic she was reading, on its pages Spiderman faced a similar situation, with aplomb, but Remus felt that was a long way to go for real-life strategic insight.

Remus stepped into the cold outside, shut the door, pulled up his hood, and Apparated to the edge of Salisbury. He found a sign and verified that he had landed on the street he had intended, and headed south toward Malfoy Manor.

The building he sought was easy enough to spot once he got close. It was surrounded by a tall fence, stood two gothic stories above its abandoned looking neighbors, and had worn but real flamingos strutting wearily about the front lawn. Remus tried to take all this in without breaking stride or turning his head, just a meaningless passerby who unintentionally found himself on the dark and menacing side of town and was wandering around until he got his bearings back.

He continued on for several blocks until he reached a park and sat down on a bench to think about what to do next. Aside from the flamingos, he had seen no sign of any living things on the property, no movement in the windows, no sounds from within. He had counted four floors but could not rule out a cellar, and had actually been able to feel the dark magic emanating from those gates as he passed them. It was the gates that did it. There was no reason he could think of to protect a place of no importance with such heavy magic. Remus stood and walked back down the long street in the opposite direction.

He and Tonks would need a cradle or something before too long, Remus mused as he made his way down the empty sidewalk. It was an odd thing to realize, light and weighty at the same time. If Molly had one on hand she probably would have offered it to them already, and buying one could prove difficult, but maybe he could build one. That had a certain appeal.

They also needed to fix this world, and with only slightly less urgency, because the alternative was unthinkable. Cooped up long term with two hunted parents? Then forced to attend a perversion of Hogwarts? Assuming they would even admit a metamorphma- Is that Pettigrew?

Remus was so surprised that he momentarily forgot himself and paused in his steps. But it was Pettigrew, even after sixteen years with hardly any contact he could recognize that cringing figure anywhere. He was taking out the garbage. So Luna must be inside, somewhere, if only he had a way to find out where in the building she was being held. But maybe they could make do without that…

If Fleur would consent to impersonating Luna, she could appear outside the building like she was trying to escape. That would cause a distraction and might even trick the Death Eaters into revealing where the real Luna was if they went to find out how she had freed herself, and some of the Order could break in and rescue her.

Remus reached the other end of the street and turned immediately back around. They would need to be able to get onto the grounds, he wanted a final look at those gates.

It might smooth things along if Andromeda impersonated Bellatrix again, frightening as that always was to see. But they would have to somehow make sure the real Bellatrix was not on hand or that would give up the game immediately. To his knowledge, Bellatrix had not been seen much since the coup, was she staying near Voldemort?

Pettigrew was no longer visible outside the building. Remus craned his neck, trying to see where he had gone, looking for cellar windows. No luck.

"You're a cheeky werewolf, aren't you."

Remus spun, fumbling for his wand, but Dolohov clearly had the drop on him.

"Greyback will be interested to learn that he didn't kill you along with the others, as will the Ministry, I expect."

When Remus tried to back away someone caught his arms from behind. Pettigrew. The grip of his false hand was amazingly strong. He must have been hiding as a rat while Dolohov snuck up. Remus didn't see anyone else around, but he was starting to realize that his judgment was not to be trusted at the moment. Coming here, alone, without even telling anyone? What a supremely stupid thing to do. Even so, he might have been able to escape if he had just called his reconnaissance complete after that first pass, maybe even after the second, although now that he thought about it, it seemed obvious that Pettigrew had not appeared by chance, but because someone inside had spotted Remus. But he had decided to go for a third pass, and that would be the last thing he ever did. He had only been trying to help. Tonks thought he had gone out for pizza. She would never know what happened to him. He could not help but laugh and cry.

"What's so…funny?" Dolohov demanded.

"I'm still waking up," Remus said. "I ate a shirt for breakfast."

"Figures. Dirty werewolf." Dolohov grumbled. "We had steak and eggs."

Remus knew that already, he could smell it on his and Pettigrew's breath. Torment.

"I had hoped you would put up more of a fight," Dolohov continued. "Still, two more and we'll have the set, eh?"

Remus's guts froze solid. He and Dolohov struck at the same time, Dolohov with a vicious swipe of his wand that sliced Remus's chest open, Remus by putting all his weight on Pettigrew and kicking as hard as he could at Dolohov's stomach and chin. One or both of those hits stunned the Death Eater and knocked him backwards while the recoil collapsed Remus on top of Pettigrew, but it was not enough to break Pettigrew's grip. Remus tried to get free even as blood pooled on his chest, but it was no good.

"Dolohov! Get up!" Pettigrew pleaded. "I can't do anything besides hold him."

Dolohov began to stir weakly. Remus knew he had to work fast, but Pettigrew was holding him strongly enough to break his wrists if he struggled, and his wand was sitting useless in his pocket.

"Is it true what he said?" Remus asked Pettigrew. "Was Ted Tonks captured?"

"You don't know?" Pettigrew said.

"Know what?"

"He's dead, Greyback got him. Him, Dirk Cresswell, and some goblin."

Remus was getting light headed. He shifted so more of his weight was on Pettigrew. The blood ran up towards his neck. That was two shirts ruined today.

"Prove it. Ted Tonks is my father in law, so if we were ever friends then tell me the truth."

"Greyback takes souvenirs, not prisoners. He brought back these green plates with flowers around the sides. Don't get your blood on me."

"That would be inconvenient, wouldn't it," Remus said, tears filling his eyes. He knew those plates well. He had to get back with this news, not leave Tonks and Andromeda to find out later that both he and Ted had been killed. "Where's his body?"

"I don't know. Wherever he died."

"Let me go."

"He'll kill me."

"We've been over this. You're on borrowed time already. Do something useful for once in your miserable life and let my wife find out that her father is dead from someone who cares about her."

Pettigrew shifted beneath him and threw Remus to the side without loosening his grip and Remus could do nothing to stop it. Even if he could get to his wand, he had lost so much blood that he was beginning to worry that he wouldn't be able to concentrate enough to Disapparate.

"Dolohov! Will you help me!"

"De baserd knocd out wy teef!"

"Kreacher!" Remus could hardly even whisper. "I'm not your master, but I need your help, please."

He could think of nothing else do to. Pettigrew would not release his arms, he could not Disapparate or contact anyone else until he reached his wand, and Dolohov had gotten to his feet, looking murderous. Remus shut his eyes, thought of what an idiot he had been, and released what was sure to be his last breath into the frozen air.

But his heart kept beating. The pressure on his wrists released, the ground beneath him changed from hard pavement to soft carpet, and Tonks's sweet voice screeched, "MUM!"

Remus inhaled the warm, familiar air of the Tonks's living room and opened his eyes to find himself nose to nose with Kreacher.

"What happened! What happened!" Remus dully recognized Mark's voice and could hear Brittany coughing wetly in the same direction, but he focused his attention on Kreacher.

"You are the best House Elf I have ever known, and one of the best people," Remus managed to whisper to him before Tonks dropped to her knees at his side and rolled him onto his back.

"Kids, get back in the dining room and stay there," Andromeda commanded. "It's all right, Brittany. Mark, get her some water, please."

"Hold still, hold still, I've got you," Tonks said to Remus, running her wand over the gash across his chest.

"Dolohov and Pettigrew."

"Are they close?"

Remus shook his head, coughed, tasted copper.

"Don't worry, stay calm, you're all right," Andromeda said from his other side. Her voice sounded overly composed to Remus's ear. He fumbled at his sides and caught Kreacher's hands and Tonks's knee.

They seemed to work for a long time and Remus watched his vision gradually narrow and then expand again, and listened to his hearing turn to fuzz, but he held on as instructed, counting the reasons why, knowing that one of them was because he had to tell these two brave women something that would break their worlds. Slowly, his heart began to beat unobstructed again, his breath came easier, and the pain across his chest faded.

"Your hand is freezing," Tonks observed. Remus had not realized before she spoke that she had taken his hand in hers.

"It's shock," Andromeda said, getting to her feet. "I'll get a blanket and some blood replenishing potion. Don't let him move yet." Remus's head swam when he turned to watch her go.

He did feel when Kreacher tried to slip his warm hands out of his cold one. "One moment, Kreacher," he rasped. "I owe you my life and I don't know how to repay you. I'm afraid that since the day we met I have asked more of you than I ever offered. What can I do to make your life better?"

Kreacher thought the matter over seriously. "Kreacher does not know how his life could be better. Kreacher has a family again, and Mister Remus, Miss Nymphadora, Miss Andromeda, and Mister Ted are all good and kind to Kreacher." He seemed to have a sudden thought and added, quietly, "But if Mister Remus could bring back Master Harry…"

"I will do my utmost," Remus promised. "Could you wait for a few minutes, Kreacher? There's something all three of you need to hear." Tonks caught his eye at that.

Andromeda reappeared and draped a heavy blanket over him, then tipped a metallic tasting potion into his mouth.

"You should start feeling better in a couple minutes," she told him. "You've certainly had an interesting day, and it's not even lunch yet."

"I think I traumatized your class," Remus said.

"You might've," she admitted. "I'll be back." She stood and disappeared into the dining room.

"I can't help but notice that you don't have that pizza you promised," Tonks added.

"Sorry about that."

"I'll settle for having you back in one piece. What happened?"

"I did something stupid," Remus said. And after promising not to, as well. Not for the first time, he wondered if the full moon affected his judgment, but he could hardly avoid responsibility because of that. "I went to Malfoy Manor."

Tonks swatted him on the shoulder, the tender one. "That was pretty stupid. But Pettigrew was there? Do you think Luna was too?"

Andromeda reappeared at his side with Mark and Brittany next to her.

"Should you two be here?" Remus asked the students.

"They need to see that you're all right," Andromeda replied for them.

She might be correct, but she didn't know everything that Remus had to tell them. He decided to focus on one issue at a time for the moment. That was about as many thoughts as the amount of blood in his head could accommodate anyway.

"Yes, I think Luna is being held there," he said to Tonks.

"Don't tell me you're planning to break her out right now," Andromeda cut in.

"Not _right_ now," Tonks replied.

"They'll be on alert, and I never got the chance to figure out how they control who enters the grounds," Remus said. "I think I can sit up now."

Tonks, Andromeda, Mark, and Brittany helped him to get up and lean against the sofa. Actually, Andromeda had to help Tonks to her feet first; it seemed her legs had fallen asleep. Tonks sat down on the sofa with her feet next to him, and Remus gripped her calf while he waited for the vertigo to pass.

"Do you know Luna is there or is it a guess?" Tonks asked, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"It's a guess. I could have asked, but I got distracted."

"Having your chest sliced open will do that," Andromeda allowed.

"It wasn't just that," Remus said. He could not avoid it any longer. "Andromeda, Kreacher, you may want to sit down. And…I really don't think Mark and Brittany should be here."

But neither student moved. Andromeda looked like she already had an idea where this was going and it had sapped all her authority. She just sat down on the armchair. Kreacher sank to his knees on the floor. Remus cleared his throat and looked at the ceiling; he had to hold it together for this.

"There's no easy way to say this, so…Dolohov and Pettigrew, they said that Fenrir Greyback c-caught up with Ted and a couple others he was with. Greyback brought back one of those green plates with the flowers. They said…they said Ted was killed."

There was only silence for several seconds. No one even seemed to breathe. Then Kreacher said, "Mister Ted is dead?"

"I'm sorry, Kreacher."

His ears drooped and his head bowed.

Tonks was leaning heavily on his shoulder and gripping it so hard that he wondered if she might break his collarbone. He could hear her gulping for breath and wished he was sitting next to her instead of on the floor.

Andromeda sat motionless, staring in his direction with the same expression she'd had when he started delivering his news. Remus wondered if she had cocooned, as Tonks called it, but then she asked, "Did they say what happened to his body?"

Remus shook his head regretfully. "Pettigrew didn't know."

"Greyback did it?" Tonks asked, her voice icy. Remus turned to look at her face. Her expression was frightening.

"Him or one of his Snatchers," he confirmed.

"Too much," she replied. "Too much." Then she collapsed, half toward the empty seat next to her, half toward Remus. Remus surged to his knees and caught her. She wrapped her arms around his middle and sobbed into his stomach. Remus swayed, having moved too fast, but found his balance and held her, rubbing her back and hair.

"I'll…I'll make some tea."

"Let me, Andromeda," Remus said.

"E-Earl Grey, please," Andromeda replied.

"No problem, just give me a minute."

"Kreacher will do it."

"No, Kreacher, you don't have to, it's all right," Remus protested.

"No, we'll do it," Brittany said.

* * *

That was, by all measures, the hardest afternoon Remus ever spent. He had thought that the day after James and Lily were murdered would hold that spot forever, but then he'd had only his own grief to contend with, coupled with no small amount of anger at himself for not being able to prevent it, and the consolation of knowing that at least Harry had survived and Voldemort had disappeared. Now, he and the five others in the house only knew that a good man had been killed for no reason, Voldemort walked the streets with impunity, and Harry was nowhere to be found.

After coming to pick up their children and learning what had happened, Mark and Brittany's parents stayed to lend their support. Fred and George stopped by not long afterward. Remus never learned the original reason for their visit, only that they could in fact be serious for long stretches when the situation called for it. One of them must have sent a Patronus when no one was watching, because word began to filter out after that. Arthur and Molly arrived next, Molly bearing a huge casserole that Remus was sure they could not spare, then Bill and Fleur, followed by Charlie, Kingsley, Lee, and Hestia Jones. It took a bit of time for someone to remember a password combination with Dedalus Diggle, but they got him inside eventually. Then Fred nipped out for what he called his "emergency Firewhiskey" and before much longer they had a respectable Irish Wake on their hands.

Tonks stuck to Remus's side for a time, and he to hers, and they worked together to organize the contributions of food and drink, fetch photo albums, and find chairs, and they split the offerings of sympathy between them, but eventually she was drawn away by Fred and George's demonstration of Muggle card tricks. Kreacher was already watching with intrigue, and when he took his own turn he mastered the trick he had just seen on the first try to general applause. Andromeda, Molly, Linda Prewett, and Hestia were talking in a corner of the room and looked like they would be better undisturbed. Remus sought out Arthur, who was in a different corner with Bill, Fleur, and Charlie.

"Gentlemen, Fleur," Remus said as he approached. They exchanged handshakes and hugs.

"Remus, so sorry for your loss, again," Arthur replied, clapping him on the shoulder.

"Thank you," Remus said. "Have you had any word from Ginny?"

Tonks had been unable to contact anyone at Hogwarts using the coins because doing so would erase the message Luna was trying to send.

"She's managed to send us a few Patronuses," Arthur said. "She's all right but…more and more students have had to go to ground, it seems. Still, I've been meaning to thank Tonks for teaching her the Patronus trick, without that we would have no idea."

"I'll make sure she knows," Remus said. To his knowledge, Tonks had only had time to teach the students how to remote cast Patronuses, not how to use them to carry messages. Ginny and Neville must have figured the last part out for themselves. They were truly impressive.

"How long until…" Charlie began, nodding toward Tonks.

"A little over a month, we're told," Remus replied, then changed the subject. "Do any of you four know someone named Dirk Cresswell?"

All of them nodded except Fleur. Arthur spoke.

"Head of the Goblin Liaison Office, formerly, anyway. He had to go on the run months ago. Muggle-born."

Remus had been afraid of that. "I have some back news. He and Ted must have met on the road, and…"

"He's dead too," Arthur finished.

Remus nodded. "And a goblin they were traveling with. I didn't get a name."

Arthur looked at the floor, then the ceiling, took off his glasses and wiped at his eyes. "If you'll all excuse me, I threatened a Death Eater over that matter, and now I have to collect." He put his glasses back on.

"Wait!" Fleur said gripping his arm. He really did look prepared to go.

"You threatened a Death Eater?" Bill asked.

"Runcorn," Arthur confirmed.

"And he didn't kill you straight off?" Charlie demanded. "I'd take a Ridgeback over him any day."

"I'll admit it wasn't a very smart thing to do…"

"And he hasn't killed you since?"

"Obviously not," Arthur said to Bill. "Actually…he warned me I was being tracked that day. I was able to find the spell and block it when I'm going someplace I don't want the Ministry to know about. After that he seemed not to remember the conversation."

"When was that?" Remus asked.

"It was early days," Arthur said, thinking hard. "Back in September, there was some kind of hubbub at the Ministry that day…"

"September 2nd?" Bill guessed.

"Might have been…"

"That was the day Tonks and I tried to visit Harry, Ron, and Hermione!" Remus said, getting excited. "They never made it back to Grimmauld Place. Kreacher said their plan involved impersonating people, but he was forbidden to say where."

"You think I was actually talking to one of them?" Arthur asked, eyes wide.

"Ron didn't mention it when he turned up," Bill said.

"Yes, but he would 'ardly talk at all," Fleur said. "Per'apse we yelled too much."

"Nah, not enough, I still think."

"I was mean to him…" Arthur said.

Remus did not think that Arthur on his meanest day would be anywhere near enough to bother Harry. Ron and Hermione he was less sure about, but they would at least know that any venom was directed toward whoever they were impersonating, not themselves.

"They're all tougher than that," Remus assured Arthur. "Any idea why they were interested in the Ministry?"

Arthur shrugged, but Bill said, "A Muggle-born Registration Commission hearing was disrupted that day. Umbridge was furious."

Arthur, Bill, and Charlie all looked like they were trying not to smile. Charlie explained. "It would have been funny if she didn't have so much power."

Remus tried and failed to come up with any scenario where he would find Dolores Umbridge funny. She had drafted far too much anti-werewolf and anti-shapeshifter legislation for that.

"That's all they did? Disrupt a hearing?"

It was a bit of a letdown, if Remus was being honest. He had hoped for some sort of clue about what those three were up to. And he wished he'd been able to do some disrupting of Ministry proceedings himself.

"And they stole back Moody's false eye!" Bill exclaimed suddenly. "It was all over the cafeteria the next day, remember?"

"Why would they need that?" Remus asked.

"I don't know, but whatever the reason, I'm glad they have it and not Umbridge," Arthur decided.

There was a clinking of silverware against glass and the five of them turned to find Andromeda standing in the center of the quieting room. She had a nearly empty tumbler of Firewhiskey in one hand but showed no sign of intoxication that Remus could detect.

"Hello. Thank you all for coming," Andromeda began. "I can't tell you how much it means to Nymphadora, Remus, Kreacher, and me to have your support at a time like this. If you'll indulge me, I would like to share a short memory about Ted."

Fred and George started up a round of encouraging applause.

"Ted met my family only once," Andromeda explained once the cheers died down. "I knew they would not approve of him, so this was after we were already married. Word about that got to my parents eventually, they surprised the hell out of me by inviting us to dinner, and Ted insisted on accepting. He said he wanted to know what he was in for, but he was a historian, so I think he also wanted to see first hand how an ancient magical family operated up close.

"Well, he found out. They invited every extended relative they could find who hadn't already been disowned, over fifty people, and the only one who was friendly to us was my cousin Sirius. He was only twelve, but provided some good cover fire all the same."

Remus smirked in anticipation. He had heard Sirius's side of this story a few years ago, after tentatively confessing to his best friend that he found Tonks intriguing. Sirius's thesis had been that Remus should watch himself, because the daughter of Andromeda and Ted Tonks had to be a real firecracker. He was correct, of course.

"So we get there, dressed in the best clothes we have, and Ted has really done his research. He knew every single fork they could possibly bring out, apparently the list had over a hundred, and I'm telling you there were at least twenty in play at that meal. I didn't know them all, I had to watch Ted. My own mother got tangled up around the meat dish. Bellatrix and Sirius didn't even try, and that might be the only time they ever agreed about something. Narcissa was there with her brand new, pre-approved boyfriend, clearly looking to impress, and even she didn't know all the forks.

"Anyway, by the time everyone sat down, Ted had chosen his target, the chandelier over the center of the table. While everyone was picking through their salads he looked across the table at my father and said, 'My word, isn't that the chandelier of Dominique Bolosque, Napoleon's magical advisor? I thought it was lost when he was executed for treason.'

"This presented my father with a dilemma, because he loved that chandelier and would talk anyone's ear off about it if given the opportunity, but really that only meant anyone with proper magical standing. So he said to me, 'Andromeda, what did you tell this-' Well, you can guess what word he used. The point is he wanted to know what I had told Ted about the chandelier, and why. Ted let it slide right off him, not the first or last time. And I hadn't told Ted anything about the chandelier, he picked it because it obviously had a place of honor and he recognized it from his research. So my father tried to get Bellatrix and Narcissa to lecture Ted about the chandelier, but before long Ted's correcting them, and my father knows that Ted is right and they're wrong, and he just can't stand it."

Andromeda laughed to herself and added, "It didn't help that Sirius kept flicking pieces of salad at him."

Remus had thought that might come in somewhere. In his telling, Sirius had taken pains to draw attention to the piece of lettuce that had gotten caught in the elder Black's hat.

"Next thing you know, Cygnus Black and Ted Tonks are debating the influence of magic on the outcome of the Napoleonic wars, and other people are getting drawn in. I'm actually starting to get worried that Ted's doing his job too well and my family will start to like him and we'll have to do all this again later. He must have realized that too, because sooner than he'd planned to he flipped it around and pointed out that Napoleon himself was a Muggle, and despite having most French wizards on his side he still lost, twice.

"As you can probably guess, my father was not someone who appreciated being reminded when a side he favored lost to anyone, Muggles, goblins, other wizards, opposing Quidditch teams, you name it. But Ted wasn't going to revise history just to please his father in law, and no one was letting it go, so he doubled down. Before long my father was so angry that he started shaking hard enough to knock a piece of lettuce from his hat into his lobster."

Sirius had briefly called that his finest hour, until he remembered the time he escaped from Azkaban.

"That was my cue to bring up Grindelwald, who many in my family had supported personally, making sure to point out that not only was he a defeated, failed despot, he had taken all his ideas from a defeated, failed, Muggle despot. That did not sit well with the older generations present, but they had a tricky time arguing with us, since we had the facts on our side and Ted could cite references from memory. Still, I didn't get formally disowned until I pointed out that Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was a Muggle. My father had a secret love of Sherlock Holmes stories that he really didn't want the rest of the family finding out about."

"Anyway, that was the best time I ever had at a family gathering. My only regret was that we got kicked out before dessert, and Ted's was that he didn't get to take a full tour of the house.

"My point is that Ted would never let anyone tell him that he was less of a wizard just because his parents were Muggles. He was willing to take on a room full of armed in-laws to prove it. He was never going to bow to a bunch of Ministry committee members. So while…while I am heartbroken that he is gone, I can at least take solace in the fact that he stood up for what he believed in, right to the very end."

"To Ted!" Remus called into the applause.

More toasts and speeches followed. Tonks told the room how her father had reacted when she told him she was going to be an Auror, Remus about how he had finally come to understand that Ted did not hold his lycanthropy against him, and how much it had meant, something he had never gotten the chance to tell his father-in-law himself. Arthur shared some fond memories of the times he spent discussing Muggle technology with Ted. Tonks learned something new when Kingsley described a meeting Ted had requested with himself and Mad-Eye, to find out how she was doing and express his appreciation, just after she was promoted to full Auror. Fred and George revealed that Ted had been one of the first customers of their joke shop, even before he and Andromeda had a strong affiliation with the Order themselves. Kreacher summed up just about everyone's thoughts in his own short speech.

"Mister Ted was good and kind. He helped Kreacher, and Kreacher was glad to help him."

Other duties began to call people away towards evening, but the last stragglers did not drink a final toast and depart until after midnight, when they had finished helping to clean up the rooms where the wake had taken place. Andromeda and Kreacher excused themselves and headed for bed, but Tonks flopped down on the sofa next to Remus. They sat in companionable silence for a few minutes, Tonks with her thoughts and Remus working on a sketch, until Tonks finally spoke.

"I never did ask him about my grandfather, the pilot."

"Maybe your Mum knows. And the military would have records if we can figure out who to ask."

"I really thought he would come back."

"I know." Remus couldn't say he had too, he remembered the first war too well for that. Being a good person was not enough. Some days, skill was not enough. Luck and help, that was all anyone had.

"Look at this," Tonks added, holding out her false Galleon.

She had etched a simple message deep into the transmitting side: _Luna, we know where you are, will send help._

Remus had to think it over to figure out why she had made the scratches so deep. It was so Luna would be able to feel them in the dark and figure out the message. And all this time Tonks had been saying she was a poor commander.

When Remus signaled that he was done reading, Tonks flipped the coin over. On the receiving side, was a messy but perfectly readable response: _No._

"She doesn't want to be rescued?" Remus asked. "Why?"

"I don't know, and I don't think she'll be able to explain over these coins," Tonks replied. "She knows more about her situation than we do. I think we have to trust her."

"Are you all right with that?" Remus replied, surprised that she was willing to take inaction as a response.

"Not really." She sighed, then changed the subject. "What are you drawing?"

Remus lifted the parchment to show her. She studied it briefly, and said, "That doesn't answer my question."

"It's a cradle."

"Really." She bumped her shoulder against his, then hesitated, tilted her head one way, then the other, and added, "Are you sure?"

"I'm not much of an artist," Remus admitted.

"That's not a lid, is it?"

"'Course not, the drawing just looks odd."

"I'll say. Escher could have done this."

"Who?"

"Ask me again in the morning," Tonks yawned. "My…er…there are probably some examples in the study. Are you planning to build this?"

"I'm hoping to find I have more talent for building than drawing."

"Me too," she replied, then gestured to her stomach and added, "you should probably make it about twice as big as you think you should, at this rate."

"You're not that bad."

"Speak for yourself, I'm contemplating sleeping here because getting up is too much trouble."

"Say no more," Remus said, getting to his feet and pulling Tonks up after him. "See? No trouble."

They started making their way up the stairs.

"Are my feet gross?" Tonks asked. "Tell the truth."

"They're fine."

"Compared to what?"

"Hagrid's feet."

"Thought so. I had an idea about a name."

"I don't think you'll surprise me."

"Wolfric."

"Well, I walked right into that one."

"You did."

"Counterproposal: Teddy."

"That's what I meant to say."


	17. March 7th, 1998, 6:30 am

**Chapter 17: March 7** **th** **, 1998, 6:30 am**

Ted was gone.

Ted was gone.

Sometimes in the dark she could still forget for a moment or two. She would stir and miss the reassuring sound of his soft snores, wonder what new puzzle or idea had drawn him out of bed and over to his study, wake fully and remember. Her sleeping mind was slow to learn.

Ted was gone.

Not just away, anymore. Gone. Forever.

It was morning now, there was no forgetting. Andromeda rolled on her side to face Ted's empty half of the bed. His pillow had lost the indentation where his head used to lie and most of his scent. She reached out and fingered the corner of the pillowcase.

Ted was gone.

She wanted to escape to the room in her mind, and she could not find it. Andromeda forced herself to sit up instead. It took an unbelievable effort.

Someone had placed a vase of bright marigolds on her nightstand. They contrasted oddly with the thawing view out the window behind them. She pulled one free and idly played with the petals, wondering how they could have managed without Kreacher and his quiet, willing resourcefulness, or without Nymphadora and her never-say-die enthusiasm, or without kind, understanding, helpful Remus. And how they would all manage without their peacekeeper.

Ted was gone.

Andromeda got to her feet, pulled on her robes, brushed her teeth and hair, and went downstairs.

Ted was not there either. Andromeda sat down across from Nymphadora.

Remus greeted her with a weak smile, a plate of waffles, and a cup of coffee, then took a seat next to Nymphadora. At first, Andromeda thought she would not be able to eat any of it, but then it occurred to her to wonder where they had gotten the ingredients, so she took a bite. Someone had ground up rice to make flour.

"Who-?"

Nymphadora sheepishly raised her hand. She had already cleared her own plate. Andromeda had to take a long moment to digest this information. She had expended a lot of effort in Nymphadora's teen years trying to teach her daughter how to cook and never succeeded. Granted, these waffles were more clever than tasty, and more chewy than anything, but Andromeda had to appreciate the effort.

"How are you, Nymphadora?"

"I'm…well…not fine…but…not _not_ fine. How are you, Mum?"

"I know how you feel."

They all lingered over their breakfasts, not speaking much, just taking what comfort they could from each other's company, but eventually the last morsel disappeared from Andromeda's plate and she could not delay any longer. She wished it was a week day, so she could at least lose herself in her class. Remus took the empty flatware into the kitchen and started washing up and Nymphadora disappeared upstairs, but Andromeda remained at the table. Once or twice she chanced a glance at the back door, but she did not think she had the will to spend the day out in the cold, trying to revive her garden, where everything she touched only froze and died anymore. Where was her room when she needed it?

"Mum?"

Andromeda took her head out of her hands and looked up.

"Are you sure you're all right?"

"I don't know."

"Do you want to play a board game?" She held up a box. It looked colorful.

"I…"

"Just one game, at least? I think we all need to do something together, for a little while."

Andromeda nodded, so Nymphadora gave her the rules to read and went to gather up Remus and Kreacher. By the end of the first round, Andromeda had to admit that Nymphadora, that great observer of people and faces, had been right. While she still had a great, gaping hole lodged deep in her chest, while she could never forget that she had lost much, she slowly started to remember that she had not lost all.

They had barely reset the board for a third game, and Andromeda was beginning to feel a hint of a smile coming on, when someone knocked on the door. Everyone looked at everyone else with identical expressions, asking without words if someone was expected, trying to work out a strategy for some new, unfriendly visitor. Whoever it was knocked again, more insistently. Quickly, they stuffed the game back in its box and Nymphadora took it upstairs.

"Who's there?" Andromeda called, heading toward the door.

"My name is Zane Bower. I'm from the _Daily Prophet_."

"You're not welcome here," Andromeda said, in no mood to deal with unwanted visitors.

But Bower did not leave.

"Are you Mrs. Andromeda Tonks? I'm here about the letter your husband sent to the _Prophet_."

That was a bad sign. Everyone held their breath. Nymphadora reappeared at the top of the stairs and drew her wand.

"At least, I think Ted Tonks sent it," Bower continued. "There aren't many magical historians of his caliber, and even less of them are Muggle-born."

Remus stepped away from the door and returned with a stack of old issues of the _Prophet_ , which he started searching hurriedly.

"But whoever wrote that letter, they had some good points."

Remus finally found what he was looking for and thrust the page into Andromeda's hands, pointing out an article with Bower's byline.

"Are you still there?" Bower asked.

The article was from back in September, with the headline, " **The Boy Who Runs? Potter Avoids Arrest by Failing to Appear at Hogwarts**." That would have settled the matter if Remus had not come around to skim the rest over Andromeda's shoulder. He pointed out the second to last paragraph.

" _Considering the new regime that has confronted the students who did return to Hogwarts, perhaps more of them now wish that they had followed Potter's lead. As for Potter himself, he has thus far eluded every attempt to track or capture him, no small feat for a wizard who has only just come of age._ "

While guarded, that was by far the most positive statement that Andromeda had read about Harry in the _Prophet_ since the coup. She looked at Remus, who shrugged and handed the paper up to Nymphadora, pointing out the paragraph in question. She shrugged as well.

Andromeda turned to the door. Not everyone at the _Prophet_ could believe the same as their bosses. There must be dissidents, just like Arthur, Bill, Charlie, and Kingsley at the Ministry.

"What do you want?" Andromeda called.

"I'd like to meet Mr. Tonks."

Her heart clenched. "You can't. He's dead."

"Oh. I…I'm sorry. But he did write that letter?"

"How many people are with you, Mr. Bower?" Andromeda asked.

"No one, it's just me."

Andromeda heard a pair of pops, Kreacher verifying the visitor's story. She glanced up at Nymphadora, who consulted with the House Elf and gave a thumbs up.

"What's your opinion about Harry Potter?"

"Well, I don't know that he's the chosen one, like they used to call him," Bower said, "but I don't think he's been getting a fair shake recently either, as far as the _Prophet_ is concerned."

"What about the Order of the Phoenix?"

"Now them, even without Dumbledore I still think they're our best shot at getting out of this mess."

Andromeda drew her wand. Nymphadora ducked out of view upstairs and Remus moved into the dining area. Kreacher joined Andromeda as she opened the door.

"Ted did write that letter," Andromeda said to the lanky, young newspaperman she found on the step. "What else do you want?"

"I want to find a way to publish it in the _Prophet_."

"You do realize that could be rather dangerous to your health," Andromeda said.

"I know, but I can't stand to print another word of that they've been making me write. It's not why I became a journalist."

Andromeda finally allowed him inside, shut the door behind him, and asked, "Then what's stopping you?"

"I don't have the letter anymore, my boss destroyed it. The only reason I know about it at all is because I was working the mail bag the day it arrived," Bower explained. "And I'd like your permission to give Mr. Tonks the credit he deserves for writing it."

"I can get you a copy of the letter…but as for using Ted's name… You have to understand that we've attracted enough unwanted attention as it is," Andromeda said.

"I think you should do it, Mum," Nymphadora said, appearing on the stairs again. "It's what Dad would have wanted."

"He sent those letters anonymously, Nymphadora," Andromeda said, turning to face her.

"Only because he thought he needed to protect us."

"He did need to protect us."

Meanwhile, Bower had looked up when Nymphadora spoke, and his whole demeanor changed when he spotted her.

"I made a mistake," he said to Andromeda. "Never mind about the letter, I can't put all of you in that kind of danger. I should go." He moved back toward the door.

"Everyone's already in that kind of danger," Remus added, emerging from the kitchen.

Bower's eyes widened still further when he saw Remus. "You…you look angrier in your wanted poster," he managed at last. And to Nymphadora, "Yours is only a head shot."

"I take it the _Prophet_ , at least, doesn't know they're here," Andromeda said to Bower. "Some from the Ministry have guessed. That often leads to memory charms."

Bower took the hint immediately.

"I won't tell anyone."

"This is a copy of the letter," Nymphadora said, handing Bower a roll of parchment and going to stand next to Remus. "We have others."

Bower skimmed through the text with reverence. When he reached the bottom, he hesitated like he wanted to say something, took a few preparatory breaths but remained silent, then opened his mouth and said, "My boyfriend is a Muggle-born."

"Is he all right?" Andromeda asked.

At first Bower seemed surprised at her response, then he just looked grateful. He dropped his gaze to the ground and shook his head. "Azkaban."

"I'm so sorry," Andromeda replied.

None of the rest of them seemed to know what to say. Andromeda had known that their efforts to smuggle Muggle-borns out of the country could not have reached everyone, but it was still sobering to have someone so profoundly effected turn up on their doorstep by chance.

"So, they really are doing that," Nymphadora said quietly, after a time.

"I…I sometimes think my position at the _Prophet_ may have played a part," Bower added.

"Dementors are bad for House Elves," Kreacher added regretfully.

"What does he mean?" Bower asked.

Kreacher spoke for himself. "Kreacher helps Muggle-borns out of the country, but Kreacher can't help them escape from Azkaban. Dementors hate House Elves."

"I see."

Andromeda could see him wondering what he would have needed to do to find out about their network in time. Wondering, but not asking.

"Don't blame yourself," she told him.

"You're different than I expected," he replied.

Andromeda heard Remus mutter something to Nymphadora. It took her a moment to decipher the words. They were: "I know what you're thinking."

She spun around and found that she too knew exactly what Nymphadora was thinking; she had that focused look she got when working through some new, dangerous scheme.

"Sirius did it, without help," Nymphadora said.

"You know that was a special case," Remus replied.

"And…hey!"

Remus had a special knack for knowing when Nymphadora was about to say 'Voldemort.'

"And You-Know-Who has been breaking people out since he returned," Nymphadora finished, glaring at him.

"You can't go to Azkaban," Andromeda told her in her well practiced 'don't argue with me' tone.

"I know. No one can go there. Just let me see what I can think of. I mean, what if it was Dad in there?"

Is that what it was like for Nymphadora as an Auror? Seeing her friends and family in every victim, her worst enemy in every offender? It sounded exhausting, but Remus looked familiar with that type of thinking. Maybe it was a habit she had learned in the Order.

"Thank you, really," Bower interjected before Andromeda could respond. "But I just came about the letter. I don't want to put all of you in any more danger."

Andromeda looked at her daughter again and decided that Bower had chosen the wrong group of people to present with a problem and then ask not to help.

"About the letter," Remus said. "I'm guessing your editor won't approve publishing it without being seriously confunded. And that's assuming he or she isn't under the Imperius curse, or actually on You-Know-Who's side."

"I'm not sure he hasn't been Imperiused," Bower said. "He was always tough, but he used to be fair, or at least tried to be."

"Could we slip it in after the paper's been printed?" Remus suggested. "As an insert or an extra page?"

Bower worked his jaw silently for a moment, looking like this had all gotten rather larger than he expected in a short amount of time. Eventually, he straightened and said, "Readers ignore inserts, there's research, but if we could make it look like it's actually part of the paper…"

"All right, we can figure that out," Remus continued. "So how do we actually get to the printed newspaper to add something?"

"I only saw the printing facility once, when I first started, there wasn't much security at the time."

"What about the owlery?" Andromeda suggested. "We could intercept the paper before the owls take it out for delivery. There must be thousands of owls, so it would be a huge building with lots of open windows." She realized only after she spoke that she had included herself in this plan.

"Those owls know how to defend themselves," Bower pointed out. "I don't know if you've ever tried to dodge the fee, but they can be convincing."

Remus considered that for a minute, then decided, "They might have the numbers, but they're still owls…"

Bower shook his head. "Mail owls are special. They can pass right through wards, even the ones at Hogwarts."

"No one ever got mail at Sirius's house," Nymphadora said, most of her attention plainly elsewhere.

"We need to put our location inside the owlery under the Fidelius charm?" Remus asked. "Does anyone know how to do that?"

"Only if the owls cause trouble," Nymphadora added, as if that solved anything.

"I'll do some research," Remus decided, when no one had any better ideas.

Bower seemed unsure whether he should stay or leave, but Andromeda gestured for him to join her on the sofa with a stack of old _Prophets_ where they could start experimenting with how to seamlessly add an extra page. Nymphadora took the arm chair, still looking distant. That was starting to get concerning. Remus returned a few minutes later with a couple books from the study and dragged in an extra chair from the dining room.

"I think I've got it," Nymphadora said after they had been working in silence for a few minutes.

"Got what?" Remus asked.

"A way to break Zane's boyfriend out of Azkaban, or at least give him a chance to escape. And no one has to put themselves at risk."

"What is it?" Bower asked with interest.

"Patronuses," Nymphadora explained. "We get the whole Order and as many other people as we can find to remote cast Patronuses to Azkaban and temporarily drive out the Dementors. Without them, there's almost no security, the prisoners would be able to swim for it, or we could find a way to leave them boats, or maybe Kreacher could help at that point."

"It can't be that simple," Remus said. "Someone would have done it already."

"Remote casting of Patronuses isn't well known," Nymphadora maintained. "But maybe people have tried but they didn't have the numbers. Up until this year most everyone who was in Azkaban deserved to be there, and most everyone else agreed about it."

"Well, if it doesn't work I guess no one's any worse off than they were before," Remus admitted.

"What do you think, Zane?" Nymphadora asked. "This affects you more than any of us."

"It's the only idea I've heard," Bower replied. "I'll do anything if it helps get Luke back. I don't know to cast a Patronus at all, though."

"Well, you happen to be in the presence of the man who taught Harry Potter how to do it."

"Really?"

"I don't like to brag," Remus said. "All right, let me try this charm."

He started moving his wand in an immensely complicated wave, following the pattern in a book with his other hand. Part way through, Nymphadora interrupted, saying, "Try not to lose the whole house," and he had to start over.

After he managed to finish the spell, Remus got up and walked over to the opposite corner of the room.

"Where'd you go?" Nymphadora asked, mockingly.

"It worked?" Remus exclaimed.

"No, I'm teasing." To demonstrate, she made a paper airplane out of a stray sheet of parchment and tossed it at him, accurately.

"That was mean," Remus grumbled, sitting down and consulting the book again.

"Don't worry, I'll bet Dumbledore needed a couple tries too."

"Probably not, actually."

Abruptly, Bower clapped a hand to his forehead and exclaimed, "Wouldn't it be easier to build a structure around ourselves?"

Everyone turned to stare at him. Eventually, Nymphadora said, "This is why wizards need to hang around with Muggle-borns."

With Nymphadora and Remus's help on the forgery, they soon had a method of quickly replicating the extra page and attaching it to the end of the real newspaper as though it had been there all along. With practice, all four of them could accomplish the task in only a few seconds. Then there was only one question left.

"How do you want to sign the letter?" Bower asked.

"Anonymously, I'd say," Andromeda replied. But if she had only herself to think of she might have a different answer.

"I vote to use Dad's name," Nymphadora said, and looked to Remus.

He did some quick thinking. "Abstain."

"What?" Nymphadora said. "My vote counts as two."

Andromeda hesitated, then, "Fair enough. Kreacher?"

"Kreacher wants all wizard-kind to know Mister Ted's name."

"All right, then." Time to be brave.

* * *

Bower needed two days to find an excuse to take another look at the _Daily Prophet_ 's printing area with a special eye on how the finished papers were brought to the owls for delivery, and they all needed another day beyond that to finalize their plan based on what he found. In addition to that, Bower stopped by whenever he could to learn how to cast a Patronus charm from Remus and Nymphadora.

Word of the plan to assist the prisoners in Azkaban in their escapes had spread through the Order, Hogwarts, and trusted friends beyond with enthusiasm, the date was set for midnight a week after Bower's original visit, to allow time to get word to as many people as possible and give those who didn't already know the trick time to figure out how to remote cast a Patronus.

The reverse heist at the _Daily Prophet_ was to take place in the small hours of the morning before the Azkaban breakout. Because of the tight quarters, only a few people could help. Nymphadora absolutely refused to sit out the operation and Remus insisted on going with her. Everyone agreed that Bower should come, both as the only person with first hand knowledge of the facility, not to mention an actual right to be there, and as the originator of the idea. If they were caught, Andromeda could try and impersonate Bellatrix again and talk them out of it. Beyond the original four, they recruited Fred and George for help with the newspapers and Kingsley as a lookout.

Andromeda was a teacher. Only a week ago she would never have believed she might find herself dressed as her older sister, with a section of a wooden wall and a sack of parchment bearing Ted's essay strapped to her back, climbing through a window of the _Daily Prophet_ 's owlery in the middle of the night. Then again, only a year ago she would never have believed that the Ministry could actually fall to Voldemort and ten years ago she really had believed that Voldemort was gone for good. It had been a time of unfulfilled expectations.

Bower had been extremely thorough in his explanations of the _Daily Prophet_ 's operations. The only thing he had failed to convey was just how eerie the owlery could be. When they arrived it was almost silent, aside from their footsteps and a low hum of machinery from the printing presses next door. The place was pitch dark, which seemed not to trouble the nocturnal owls. Andromeda could hear them rustling in the rafters above them, and from time to time a silent shadow would cross in front of the stars visible through the windows.

Without quite deciding to, Andromeda lit her wand dimly after stepping on something that crunched. A rodent skull, she guessed, but she also quickly realized that lighting her wand had been a mistake. Only the closest owls were actually visible, but she could now see the glint of hundreds more sets of large eyes blinking at their little group, watching their progress, and there must be thousands more in the owlery with them, out of range of the wandlight. Something touched Andromeda's shoulder and she jumped, but it was only Nymphadora urging her on.

They assembled the shelter and a tall table around the portal where the printed newspapers would appear and laid out a lamp in the center and their extra pages in easy reach. Bower checked his watch.

"Any time now."

Within a minute, a newspaper fell through the slot in the wall. Remus grabbed it up, unfolded it, and started stitching on the extra page. A moment later an owl hit the roof of the shelter with a scraping thunk. Nymphadora took the next paper to come through. Remus slid his completed copy through the low slot on the far side of the shelter and an owl snatched it away almost immediately.

Newspapers started coming through more quickly. Now they were all busy attaching the extra pages and still the papers stacked up. The scrape and thunk of owls hitting the shelter grew almost constant. Andromeda could not tell if they were trying to attack the invaders or only reach the newspapers.

"I hope those owls aren't hurting themselves," Bower said as they worked.

"Professor Lupin, mate, have you looked at the front of this?" Fred asked.

No one else had, they were too focused on adding their pages to the back. Fred flicked one of the papers open in front of them. Half of the front page was taken up with a picture of Remus and the headline "Undesirable Number Five."

Everyone glanced at the paper, then at Bower, but the confusion in his eyes was unmistakable. "I had no idea," he swore. "I'm only allowed to see my own articles before publication."

"Number five," Remus said amiably as they worked. "Harry's number one, but who are two through four?"

"Last I checked they were Hermione Granger, Garrick Ollivander, and Florean Fortescue," Bower replied.

"Where am I?" Nymphadora asked.

Bower had to think about it. "In the twenties."

"What!" she demanded, gluing a page to her hand in her distraction. "I swear, after Kung Fu is born I am going to be such a menace."

"After Kung Fu is born you'll have a baby to take care of," Andromeda reminded her.

"They have to sleep sometimes, don't they?"

"It's cute that you think so."

"What did Fortescue do?" George asked. "Hide a cockroach cluster in Umbridge's rocky road?"

"Because that'd be a public service," Fred added.

"He was hiding a cell of rebel goblins," Bower said.

"That's what those noises were!" Fred exclaimed. "For weeks there was banging and shouting coming from his shop, deep into the night."

"We thought he was throwing parties," George said. "Took it personally that he never invited us."

"How many people get the _Daily Prophet_?" Andromeda asked, stretching out her back.

"About five thousand," Bower replied.

"How many have we done?" Remus asked.

"I'd say a hundred," Andromeda said.

"Fantastic," Nymphadora said. "Anyone know any jokes?"

"All right," Fred said eagerly. "A dragon, a hippogriff, and a niffler walk into a pub and the barkeep says, 'I hope you lot can pay.'"

For several seconds the only sound was paper rustling and owls knocking against the roof of the shelter.

"Everyone says you two are funny," Bower said eventually.

"You see," George said. "I told you that one doesn't work."

Nymphadora snorted.

"There, someone gets it," Fred said.

"And that's how funny she found it, get some new material."

They carried on in a similar vein for hours until their hands were covered in paper cuts and their backs were stiff and everyone had described what they would like to eat for breakfast for the next three months and what they would like to say or do to Umbridge if they ever got the chance and they all found out that five thousand was a much bigger number than they had previously realized.

Kingsley knocked from outside and called through the wall, "It's getting light."

"It's only dawn?" Nymphadora complained. "It feels like we've been here for days."

But the stack of newspapers they had not yet modified was growing smaller as the stream that fed it finally slowed and then stopped. Andromeda picked up the last one and attached Ted's letter. Muscle memory nearly sent it back out of the shelter like the others, but she stopped herself and set the paper down in front of her.

"I'd like an extra copy of this," she said. "Is it all right if I keep one?"

Bower nodded, cracking his knuckles.

Andromeda pulled two Knuts from her pocket and left them on the ground near the portal to the printing facility. No one argued.

They disassembled their abused shelter, commenting on the many deep gouges that marked the outside, clambered stiff legged back out the window into the cold dawn, shook hands, and went their separate ways. Each knew that they could only hope someone would read the letter, that it would make them pause and consider their preconceptions, that all their night's efforts would make some kind of difference.

Kreacher had thoughtfully prepared a light breakfast for when Andromeda, Nymphadora, and Remus got home. Nymphadora and Remus ate quickly, Remus scanning the article about himself at the same time, then they trooped up to bed. Andromeda thought she would follow soon, but instead she found herself reading Ted's letter again, in it's place of honor at the end of the _Daily Prophet_ , thinking that if she was not so tired she might find it funny that Ted's stand for reason appeared on one side of those pages and a hateful, venom filled call for Remus's arrest, if not lynching, was on the other.


	18. Defend

**Chapter 18: Defend**

"Stand still before you wear a hole in the dock," Tonks suggested when Zane crossed by her, Remus, and Kreacher again. She had lost count of how many times he had paced back and forth as they waited for the clock to strike midnight, standing as close as they could get to Azkaban while still on land, on the northernmost dock in Aberdeen, Scotland.

"Sorry," Zane replied, but he only managed to stay in one place for a few dozen seconds before he began bouncing on the balls of his feet again, and once he started doing that it was only a matter of time before he resumed pacing. "What if Nate's asleep and he doesn't notice?"

"He's been surrounded by Dementors for weeks," Tonks said, pulling her cloak tighter around herself. Her fingers were getting numb. Much more of this and she would drop her wand in the North Sea the second she tried to cast a spell. "If this works and they go, he'll notice, I promise."

Zane had admitted to never having encountered a Dementor in person, and no matter how many times they tried, Tonks and Remus could never seem to adequately explain how it felt to escape from one of them.

"But what if he can't find his way to the boat?" Zane insisted, pacing again. "Maybe he's sick or hurt, or it's just too dark? He got lost in the dark once, just trying to get to the bathroom."

"Patronuses glow," Tonks replied, crossing her arms to try and find a warm place for her hands to wait. "He'll be able to see." She blew on her hands to try and warm them up. Standing around was getting uncomfortable too. Kung Fu's fault.

"Does Nate work at the _Prophet_ too?" Remus asked before Zane could come up with another reason why their plan was bound to fail. "You never said." He took Tonk's hands, muttered "Merlin" to himself or her, and started rubbing them between his own.

"No, no, he's an apprentice wandmaker," Zane replied with obvious pride in his voice.

"Not to Ollivander?" Tonks said, surprised.

"To Klein and Green. They're not as well known, but Nate swears their wands can compete with Ollivander's."

Based on this new information, Tonks privately thought that Zane ought to stop blaming himself for his boyfriend's arrest. A Muggle-born wandmaker never stood a chance once the Ministry decided that Muggle-borns were stealing magic.

"He must be an extremely talented wizard," Remus continued. Tonk's hands were starting to warm up enough to feel pain again. "I'll bet he figures out right away what he needs to do to escape, and if he doesn't he'll recognize your Patronus."

"But he's never seen it before."

"It's not about knowing the form the Patronus takes," Tonks said. "It's about knowing the person who cast it."

"And as soon as he sees it, he'll know you're trying to help him," Remus finished.

That all sounded nice, but Tonks could not help but notice that neither she nor Remus pointed out that no one would really be able to tell where in Azkaban their Patronus landed or where they went afterwards. Fred and George had volunteered to fly out on brooms to rescue anyone who ended up on the roof, but anyone who found themselves in a basement or dungeon might be on their own. Remus had accused the twins of being suicidal, but they claimed they had just been missing getting to play beater.

In a building chorus, the churches and clock towers of Aberdeen chimed twelve.

"Merlin," Zane said, drawing his wand, but his feet had finally stilled.

Tonks, Remus, and Zane waved their wands as one and sent their Patronuses to Azkaban. All throughout the United Kingdom, many more did the same.

The Patronuses cast, Tonks and Remus worked together to propel a small boat toward the distant island. As the craft receded, Tonks realized that she could see a faint glimmer in the distance: Azkaban, illuminated by Patronuses. She wondered what the Dementors were doing, if it was enough to drive them away. Zane paced past, saving her the trouble.

They waited for endless minutes, then George's one eared jackalope flashed in front of them and declared, "Your boat is full, more people are waiting."

"How many people did they arrest?" Tonks wondered as she, Remus, and Zane hauled the boat back to the mainland.

"Something's wrong," Remus said when they had been working for a few minutes.

It took Tonks a little longer to figure out what had caught his attention but soon enough she realized that the temperature, already cold, was dropping the closer the boat got. She aimed her wand at the air over the approaching boat and sent her wolf out across the water. The Dementors scattered but regrouped quickly.

"Get ready, Kreacher," Tonks said.

"Kreacher is ready, Miss Nymphadora."

The boat bumped against the dock and Remus and Zane began hauling the haunted, shivering, stumbling people out while Tonks ushered them into a group around Kreacher.

"Send it back!" Zane exclaimed as soon as the boat was empty, and Tonks understood; Nate had not been in that group.

Kreacher disappeared with his cluster of Muggle-borns and popped back onto the dock next to Tonks a few minutes later. Their little group had the Dementors' attention now. It was all they could do to defend themselves. Tonks hoped that Fred and George had the good sense to abandon the air over Azkaban. Once the boat reached the island again they gave the escapees five minutes to board before bringing it back. As they worked, Remus caught Tonks's eye and she understood that if things got much worse he would find a way to force her out of the fight. She loved and hated him for it.

Zane seemed to be growing desperate as he searched the second set of passengers. Nate was not among them, but at least fewer Dementors followed the boat this time.

Tonks saw what was going to happen about half a second before it did. "No! Don't!" she shouted, but Zane had already taken a running jump and landed in the departing boat. She and Remus tried to haul it back, but Zane had taken control of the propulsion. All they could do was provide him with the cover of their Patronuses.

"Can you bring him back?" Tonks asked Kreacher after he returned from taking the second set of escapees out of the country, pointing at the boat.

Kreacher appeared to try, then shook his head regretfully. "Too many Dementors."

"What do we do if he gets off the boat on the other side?" Tonks wondered.

"Bring it back with whoever is on board, then keep sending it out until we can't anymore," Remus said.

"Works for me," Tonks replied.

But they never had to. The next time the boat returned it was less than half full, and the occupants included Zane and another man who could only be Nate. He had one hand locked in Zane's and a lemur Patronus in his other arm, having recognized it just like Remus said he would. The sight made Tonks want to grab hold of Remus and never let him go either.

"He wouldn't leave anyone behind, the fool," Zane told them through a wide smile when Remus pulled him and Nate onto the dock. "I don't know how to thank you and everyone who helped."

"You don't have to, just have a good life," Tonks said, accepting Zane's one armed hug. Nate looked like he was not ready for physical contact with anyone besides Zane just yet, so instead Tonks ran a finger down the back of the lemur Patronus's head. He seemed to understand.

"I hope we'll meet again, after all this is over," Zane continued, shaking Remus's hand then thumping him on the shoulder.

"So do I," Remus agreed.

"See you back at home, Kreacher."

"Back at home, Miss Nymphadora."

The pair took their places around Kreacher with the rest of the escapees, and a moment later all of them were in France.

"You know what?" Tonks said to Remus when they had gone. She took his hand and they Disapparated back to the hidden alcove near the garden fence.

"What?" Remus asked as they started around toward the door.

"We just helped a whole lot of people escape from Azkaban."

"There were at least forty," Remus agreed. "Even Vol-"

Tonks gave him an exceedingly sharp poke in the stomach. It may have been more like a punch. She really couldn't feel her hands.

"Ergh. Thank you, that was close."

"You're welcome."

"Your hands are still freezing."

"I believe you know what to do about that," Tonks said, holding her hands out to him. "And my feet are pretty cold too."

"We could just go inside," Remus pointed out.

"No reason we can't do both."

Remus knocked. Andromeda came to the door almost immediately to demand passwords (Bellatrix and the moon) then ask how it went. Tonks recounted the story while she and Remus stripped off their hats, gloves, and coats and Remus started rubbing the life back into her frozen hands.

Part way through the story, Remus grew distracted, and when she was finished he asked, "Do you ever think that, when this finally comes to a real fight, we've been sending a lot of people who would be on our side to where they can't help us?"

Tonks had. By the look of her, Andromeda had too. But what else could they do?

"Most of the people who had to run aren't fighters anyway," Tonks ventured at last. "And it's not like France is a different planet."

Remus shrugged his agreement, but still looked troubled.

"What happened to Kreacher?" Andromeda asked instead.

Tonks checked the clock and yawned. It was getting close to three in the morning. Usually Kreacher only needed a few minutes to take a group of people out of the country and return.

"We told him to come back here…" Tonks said uncertainly.

"I'll go check the dock," Remus said, reaching for his coat.

"No, wait, think about it!" Tonks caught his arm. Remus gave her a look that made her wonder if he was regretting warming up her hands, but she persisted. "The Ministry has to have figured out what happened by now. That whole area must be swarming with Death Eaters and Dementors and who knows what else. If you go you'll be caught immediately."

"I'll go as Bellatrix," Andromeda offered.

"And what if Bellatrix is actually there? And even if she's not, what happens if you need to cast a Patronus?" Remus pointed out. "I doubt Bellatrix's Patronus is a Hippogriff."

If Tonks hadn't been so tired and worried she would have laughed at the idea of that. Much as it rankled, she didn't bother offering to go herself, they wouldn't have let her either. Instead, she said, "Kreacher knows how to get himself out of almost any scrape, and I'm sure he knew to come back here, not to the dock. Why don't we give him until morning, then try summoning him?"

No one really liked the idea, but they agreed that it was all they could do without more information. They settled themselves in the sitting room to wait.

Some time later, Tonks stirred and woke. The first hints of sunrise were filtering through the windows and she was lying on the sofa with her head on Remus's thigh. It took her a moment to figure out what had woken her, but then Kreacher stepped into view, looking surprised to see the three of them still in the sitting room. Tonks could have cried in relief at seeing him, even before she caught the delicious scent coming from one of the bags he was holding.

"Kreacher, you're back," Tonks whispered, trying not to wake up Remus or her mother, holding a hand out to him. "What happened?"

"Miss Marissa and Mister Phillip wanted to make you breakfast," Kreacher replied. "Why is you not in bed?"

"We were worried about you. We wanted to make sure you got back safely."

"Worried about Kreacher?"

"Yes, but everything's all right now," Tonks said. Then she couldn't stand waiting any longer. "Kreacher, are those croissants?"

"Yes, Miss Nymphadora." He passed the bag over to her and she took a deep smell of the contents, mouth watering.

"Do I have to wake up those two?"

"It could be Miss Nymphadora and Kreacher's secret," the House Elf said conspiratorially.

"Kreacher, you are wonderful," Tonks said, working her way to a seated position. "Remus, Mum, wake up. Kreacher brought croissants."

* * *

"I feel like we were tricked," Tonks said as soon as Remus closed the door behind them. "Do you think we were tricked? She mentioned lunch in the invitation, didn't she?"

"She offered us lunch," Remus pointed out, generously.

"But she neglected to mention that we would be too nauseated to eat it."

"True."

Molly had invited them over for what turned out to be an exceedingly frank, and honest, and detailed discussion. As a result, Tonks was having trouble even looking at Remus as they milled around the Weasley's garden, and she didn't think she would be able to make eye contact with Molly ever again, maybe not even be in the same room with her. At least Fred and George had not dropped by in the middle. There would have been no survivors.

"You kept the books!" Tonks yelped, catching sight of them under Remus's arm.

"She didn't give me much choice," Remus said. For his part, he seemed like he was trying very hard not to have trouble looking at her.

"There are things in those that I can't unsee! Leave them for the gnomes. They have huge heads and tiny bodies, maybe they'll learn something."

"That was probably pretty embarrassing for Molly to talk about too, you know."

"And yet she didn't stop, even when I begged her."

"I'll bet your Mum asked her to do it, and don't you think you'll be glad you know all that before too long?"

"I'm really trying not to think about it."

"I need to get to work on that cradle," Remus said to himself. "If we don't get moving Molly is going to invite us back inside, you know."

"Blimey, anything but that," Tonks said, and Disapparated back home.

Remus appeared at her side a moment later.

Tonks walked around to the door, raised her hand to knock, then hesitated. "When this all…you know…starts, you might want to take my wand away."

"Why?" Remus asked.

"Because I've got the feeling I'm going to want to use Cruciatus on someone before it's over."

"Noted."

"You'll probably be first in line. Don't take it personally."

"I'll try not to."

Tonks turned to the door again, then realized, "Oh, Merlin, Mum knows exactly what we were talking about with Molly. She's going to ask if I have any questions, just like she did when I was twelve."

"Well, do you have any questions?"

"Yes!"

"All right." Remus sounded taken aback. "Like what?"

"How do mammals even exist!"

Tonks still couldn't look at him, but she could feel him looking at her, then she heard him chuckle.

"Don't laugh at me," she grumbled. "This is serious."

Remus pulled her into a hug.

"What," Tonks grumped, her voice muffled by his cloak.

"I forgot until you said it. James spent a week asking everyone he saw almost that exact question," Remus laughed. "He was not prepared."

"That makes me feel much better, thank you."

"Lily straightened him out in the end," Remus continued. "She pointed out that people do exist, so everyone must manage somehow, and if everyone else can do it, so can they. And they did."

"Smart lady, that Lily," Tonks said, pulling away. It was a little easier to look at Remus again.

"I wish you could have met her."

"I know Harry, that's something."

"Sure is. You ready to go inside yet?"

"Might as well. Besides, you need to get to work on that cradle."

But when Kreacher let them inside they found yet another distraction in the form of Kingsley Shacklebolt, who was standing in the middle of the living room, tracing his wand in a careful circle.

Tonks managed to keep herself from questioning him at once and instead waited until he had finished with whatever he was doing and looked over at them before exclaiming, "Kingsley! What are you doing here?"

"Your mother invited me," he replied.

She had to bite down on the first question that came to mind, which was 'How,' since she had not been aware that her Mum and Kingsley were well acquainted, and instead went with, "Why?"

"All of the Order safe houses are on alert. Your mother thinks, and I agree, that if the Ministry or Death Eaters intend to move against Remus they will do it tonight."

Well, that made no sense. "You think they'll attack a werewolf on the full moon? No one is that stupid."

"I can't defend myself," Remus said.

"I'm pretty sure you can," Tonks said, glancing up at him, but he looked worried.

"Not while I'm locked in the shed."

Tonks finally understood. Anyone who cared enough to pay attention would know that Remus could only have stayed hidden for so long if he locked himself away somewhere during his transformations. They needed only to find that place and wait for moonset and they would have Remus at his most vulnerable.

Of course, anyone who came calling would have a fight on their hands before they could ever get near that shed. Tonks wouldn't just sit back and let someone arrest her husband, except for the small detail that she presented a rather larger target than usual, and these days even crossing a room took no small effort. And her mother, while certainly resourceful for a teacher, was still a teacher, her talents lay in other places. Of the house's permanent residents, only Kreacher had a realistic chance of defending Remus, and they could not ask him, even if they thought he would agree. Especially if they thought he would agree.

So that explained Kingsley's presence. Tonks was grateful for his help even though the need for it rankled. With luck she would be back in fighting form in a few weeks, but that was nowhere near soon enough.

"We think that if they knew for certain that Remus was living here they would have attacked with overwhelming force already," Kingsley explained. "That's why we had to alert the whole Order, we think they'll try and search all your known associates. Most everyone will just submit to the search, but a few have volunteered to fight back as decoys. And, of course, in all likelihood the main fight may well be here."

"I can't let everyone take that kind of risk for me," Remus said, predictably. "I'll find a forest somewhere."

Tonks was only surprised that he had not chimed in with that sooner. In fact, she had to wonder if this was part of the reason why Andromeda had sent her and Remus out that morning, so that she and Kingsley could talk without these kinds of interruptions. It suggested a certain deviousness that Tonks had never suspected in her mother.

"What if you pick the exact forest where a group of Muggle-borns are hiding out?" Tonks asked him. "Or Harry, Ron, and Hermione, for that matter?"

"I'll…find a different shed, then," Remus said. "You can let them search the house."

"Andromeda asked me to disarm you and throw you in the shed immediately if you started suggesting things like that," Kingsley said. "We're friends, so I'll let you off with a warning this time, but don't do it again."

"I'll help you if he does," Tonks said. "Where is my Mum?"

"Our plan involves all the Peruvian Darkness Powder Fred and George have in stock," Kingsley said. "She went out to get it."

"I like the sound of that," Tonks replied. "Where do you need me?"

Kingsley hesitated. His gaze went from her eyes, to her stomach, then back to her eyes. For his part, Remus also stared at her in disbelief.

"Come on, Kingsley. Don't make me sit this one out."

Kingsley swallowed and said, "Next to the shed, last line of defense, as long as you tell Andromeda you gave me no choice."

"Perfect," Tonks replied.

"Not perfect!" Remus exclaimed, taking her upper arms. "You…you can't!"

"Can't?"

"Shouldn't, I mean. Not for me."

"You're kidding. Who do you think we are to each other?"

"Tonks!"

"Remus."

"Will you join me in the garden for a moment?"

"Kingsley, will you excuse us, please?"

He had returned to casting wards while they argued, but his prompt nod indicated that he had not been able to help but listen. Tonks followed Remus out to the garden. He scuffed at the ground and rubbed his cheek for a minute before speaking.

"I am asking you to go to the Burrow, or Hestia's house, or somewhere that's going to just let whoever comes do their search and go."

"Counteroffer," Tonks replied. "I stay here and help protect you."

"Please, hide, and I promise I'll never tell anyone that you sat out a fight," Remus said. "I'm asking for Teddy."

It seemed like a low blow, calling him by name.

"How does it help Kung Fu if you're captured or killed?"

"It'll help him a whole lot less if you're the one captured…or…or…" He couldn't even say it. "Look around. I know Kingsley's wards are brick walls, but if they do fall this garden is completely indefensible. And if the wards stay up but they manage to take the house you won't be able to Disapparate away."

"Like I would. Anyway, that's a gate right there, remember?"

"What if you can't get to it?"

"I'll climb the fence."

"You were complaining about the _stairs_ yesterday."

"I'll ask Kreacher to keep me company," Tonks said. "Listen, I couldn't live with myself if something happened to you while I was hiding away somewhere, so is there anything I can do from here that will make you less nervous?"

Remus had to think. "If you stay out of the fighting yourself…could you be the general again? Or a lookout?"

"That didn't work so well last time I tried it," Tonks reminded him.

"Your command wasn't the problem, and neither was your plan," Remus said. "There was just more going on than you knew about."

"Which sort of calls into question both my command and my plan, wouldn't you say?" Tonks said. "But, as long as I can take cheap shots at some Death Eaters."

"I could never stop you from doing that."

"I've got an idea," Tonks said, looking at the reinforced shed.

"I do too," Remus said, looking at her.

"We should make duplicates of the shed that make noises and shake just like the real one. That way they won't know exactly which one you're in," Tonks said. "And we should find a way to make it so you can keep your wand, so if things go badly you'll have a fighting chance."

"We should put every concealment and protection charm on you that we can find," Remus said.

"All of them? I wouldn't be able to move."

"Yes, all of them," Remus said. "Also…if things really do go badly, if they're about to find you…"

If he wanted her to guess his plan he would need to give her another hint.

"What?"

"I…" He was really having a hard time saying this one. "If that happens, I want you to let me out of the shed and escape while they're distracted."

"You do?" No caveats? No admonishment to make sure the attackers weren't under Imperius? No instructions to only play that last card if they were Death Eaters?

Remus nodded and looked at his shoes.

"You…" Now she was the one having trouble speaking, but she had to be absolutely sure. "You could bite someone."

"I know," Remus whispered. When he continued his voice was stronger. "If it's a choice between that and you, I choose you."

But if it really did come to that, Tonks was not so sure he would be the same man after his mind returned to him.

"Have you ever infected anyone before?" she asked.

Remus hesitated and swallowed with difficulty. "Bitten? No. Infected?" He lightly brushed his knuckles against her stomach. "I don't know."

Tonks caught his hand and laid it more firmly on the spot.

"You still worry about that?"

"All the time."

Kung Fu chose that moment to land a solid kick. His aim was true.

"Merlin," Remus said when he felt it. "Are you all right?"

"I'm fine," Tonks said. "High five."

Andromeda had returned by the time Tonks and Remus went back inside. They were not quick enough to save Kingsley from her wrath when he said that Tonks would take the post by the shed, but perhaps that had its benefits. After hearing that she was more inclined to accept the revised plan that had Tonks as lookout. And they finally got to hear what Andromeda and Kingsley had in mind for the Peruvian Darkness Powder. Tonks had to admit that she would not want to potentially face a transformed werewolf in those conditions, much less Kingsley Shacklebolt. It would make her job as lookout slightly more complex, however, more like a listen-out, but Kingsley and Andromeda had already thought of that as well and also bought up several of Fred and George's Extendable Ears, which Tonks quickly appropriated.

After setting their traps they had little left to do besides wait for moonrise. Tonks and Remus spent the afternoon looking up protective spells, then duplicating the shed and making a box where Remus would be able to store his wand that his wolf would not be able to destroy. When they finished with that, Remus actually had time to make some progress on the cradle, which was starting not to look anything like his drawings, in a good way.

Kingsley alternated between reinforcing his wards and memorizing the layout of every room in the house. By the time evening fell several birds had dashed themselves against the invisible barrier and he could walk anywhere in the house with his eyes closed and never make the slightest misstep, at least until Tonks started moving the furniture around, to keep him from growing overconfident, of course.

With Kreacher's help, Andromeda prepared a surprisingly palatable beet stew for dinner, followed by rice pudding.

"When's moonrise?" Tonks asked when she reluctantly spooned up the last of her dessert.

"Around eight," Remus said. He had not eaten much, but whether that was due to nerves or the lack of a juicy steak was difficult to say. "I should go."

"Remus," Kingsley said, standing up to shake his hand.

"Kingsley. I don't know how to thank you for defending my family. You're a great friend."

"Think nothing of it, you would do the same for me," Kingsley replied. "My only regret is that I won't get to see what happens if someone sets off the traps I set around my house. I think they would have done old Mad-Eye proud."

"Andromeda," Remus continued. "There are no words."

"All right," Tonks said, getting to her feet and taking his arm. "Stop acting like you're never going to see any of us again. Twelve hours from now there's going to be a collection of bound and gagged Death Eaters right over there. You can give your soliloquy to them."

"Tell Kreacher how grateful I am!" Remus insisted as Tonks pushed him outside.

"Merlin. Chin up, you old pessimist."

"I never got to say those types of things to James and Lily, not even to Sirius," Remus said to her when they were alone. "You can make light of it all you want, but this is dangerous."

"Fine, do you want to say anything to me?"

"Erm, I was making it up as I went," Remus said. "But I meant what I said about letting me out of the shed if things go wrong, Tonks."

"Got it."

"Don't go and have the baby in the middle of this."

"Yessir," she replied. "That would throw a wrench in the plan, wouldn't it."

Remus hesitated. He seemed not to have anything else, which was a bit of a letdown. Then he gripped her arms and gave her one of those kisses that stops the heart and weakens the knees and Tonks reciprocated in full. They broke apart much sooner than Tonks would have preferred, but they had little time to spare. He brushed her hair behind her ear and ran a thumb over her stomach. She kissed his knuckles and locked him in the shed.

"Positions, I think," Tonks said to Kingsley and her mother when she met them back inside. She heard a mournful howl from the garden just as she locked and warded the door to the study. It continued as she placed the agreed upon protective spells around herself and long after. Kung Fu must have sensed her anxiety, because he supplied a few good kicks. Tonks rubbed at the spot in what she hoped was a reassuring way and said, "Don't worry in there, we'll keep him safe."

There was a sudden disturbance downstairs. Tonks could not see from the study, but she heard Hestia's voice through the Extendable Ear in the living room. She must have sent a Patronus.

"They just left my house. Death Eaters and Snatchers."

That was actually bad news in two ways. It meant that not only had they been correct about the Death Eaters making a move tonight, but also that they were not attacking everywhere simultaneously, so more of them would be available when they got to the more likely targets.

And they waited. From time to time someone would send a Patronus message, and once someone whose house had already been searched knocked on their door to join in the main fight, whenever it started. It gave Tonks too much time to listen to Remus's howls and roars. He was not usually that agitated. She tried to occupy herself by poking through her father's books for information about werewolves, specifically what it was about the moon that made them transform and whether completely isolating Remus from its light, with Peruvian Darkness Powder for instance, would let him stay human. It seemed unlikely that someone else would not have already found this out if it was true, but she still had a mind to try it if Remus was willing. At any rate, she could not delve too deeply as she still had to track the conversation downstairs, where Kingsley was lining up his troops so they would not accidentally hit each other in the darkness.

Kingsley had just placed Bill at the door that led out to the garden when someone knocked on the front door. It could still be Charlie, but Tonks heard some shuffling of the people downstairs checking their positions.

"Don't stand right in front of the door, Mum," Tonks said, but Andromeda could not hear her until she took her final place near the entrance to the downstairs bathroom.

"Who's there?"

BLAST!

"We're here for the- What happened to the-"

Trying not to worry about whether or not her mother had been standing by the door when it was torn open, Tonks waved her wand, looking for human presences. She found ten. The spell did not count Remus while he was transformed, nor Kreacher, she had already checked, so that left the four human defenders, including herself, and six Death Eaters. She cast the spell again. Only five of the presences had moved, and the defenders were to keep still as much as possible, so someone must have landed an early hit on one of the Death Eaters.

"Five, and one that's down," Tonks whispered into the listening ends of the Extendable Ears. She waved her wand again. "Four, I mean."

"Thought so," Kingsley replied in an undertone.

Tonks could hear the remaining Death Eaters arguing.

"Lumos! Lumos! What's the matter with this?"

"Keep your voice down. It's that Brazilian stuff. You know, it makes it dark."

They were close to the Extendable Ear in the middle of the living room. Tonks told Kingsley, although he could no doubt hear them directly, and he sprayed the area with spells. She heard them fall, but the sound from that Extendable Ear became muffled, one of them must have landed on top of it.

That left two. They were still near the front door. Tonks tried to relay that to her mother but got no response. But then she realized that those two presences weren't just hanging near the door, they had not moved at all in several minutes.

"Kingsley, they might all be down. Can you check on my Mum?"

She heard his footsteps approaching the Extendable Ear near the door, then he spoke.

"That's six. Andromeda? Are you okay?"

"I'm here," Andromeda replied, and Tonks breathed again. "I got turned around, couldn't find my Extendable Ear."

They still had several minutes before the Peruvian Darkness Powder would start to dissipate.

"There are four by the front door and two near the Extendable Ear in the living room," Tonks told Bill and Kreacher. "And the door is broken open." They relayed her message to the other two, and they all got to work fixing the door and making sure the Death Eaters really were stunned, then tying them up and stashing them in the kitchen.

Since the Peruvian Darkness Powder had not penetrated the wards around the study, the only indication Tonks got that the darkness had started to lift was a slowing, then a halt in the instances of someone cursing when they bumped into something. Bill in particular had some interesting things to say in those cases. Tonks considered taking notes.

Because the four downstairs were moving around and away from the transmitting end of their Extendable Ears, Tonks could hear them much better than they could hear her, which was why Bill was the one to ask what Tonks really wanted to know.

"Andromeda, did you take out those last two Death Eaters?"

"I don't know," she replied. "I cast a few spells, but maybe it was Kingsley."

"I don't think I had the angle," Kingsley said. "You must have hit them."

"Yeah Mum!" Tonks shouted, hoping they would hear her, either through the Extendable Ears or the floor.

"What do you say we trade places for the next wave?" Bill suggested. "You two didn't leave any for me."

"Or for Kreacher."

Tonks knew the feeling.

"Oh, terribly sorry. We can swap," Andromeda replied. She sounded genuine. Tonks wasn't sure whether to shout at Bill to go find his own Death Eaters or to agree that her mother should get further from harm's way.

"We keep the positions the same," Kingsley decided for all of them. "It worked last time."

"How long do you think it will take until more come?" Andromeda asked.

"Hard to say," Kingsley admitted. "It depends on how much of a fight they expected us to put up, but they'll have learned by now from the other safe houses that we knew they were coming. I wouldn't count on more than an hour, but really they could come any time. And we should expect greater numbers, unless our allies have managed to seriously thin down their forces."

Tonks checked the time. It was nearly midnight. They had another six hours until the moon set.

"Well, I was going to ask if anyone would like some tea, but I guess that will just have to wait," Andromeda replied. She seemed to be getting the hang of this.

"How did it look from up there, Tonks?" Kingsley asked, finally getting back on his Extendable Ear.

"It didn't look like much, but it sounded like you had everything under control," Tonks replied. "How did my input work for you?"

"Fine," Kingsley said. "When this is over you can move to intelligence if you want."

"And take up a desk job? Don't even joke. Tell my Mum I knew all along that I didn't get my dueling skills from Dad."

Kingsley relayed the message. Andromeda replied for herself.

"Well you can't have gotten them from me either. Must've been practice."

"It wasn't practice," Kingsley interjected before Tonks could get a word in.

The longer Tonks thought about that statement the less she was sure whether Kingsley meant that she was naturally talented or that she was actually a poor duelist, a fact compounded by lack of practice. She was about to ask when Kreacher spoke.

"More men are coming down the street."

Tonks heard the four of them hurry back to their positions. This time the Death Eaters did not bother with knocking, they just kicked down the hastily repaired door. There were fifteen of them this time. Fortunately, none of their predecessors managed to relay a message about the Peruvian Darkness Powder and the same strategy worked again. Andromeda stunned three and Kingsley cemented his lead with nine but left two for Bill. Tonks was briefly at a loss to explain what had happened to the last Death Eater, but when the light returned Bill reported that Kreacher had found a clever way to circumvent the laws that prohibited House Elves from using magic against wizards.

"He was sitting on Yaxley's head, using magic to push against the ceiling so he couldn't get thrown off. I wish I'd had a camera."

At Tonks's request, Kingsley stepped into the garden to make sure that Remus was still all right. By the time he returned, Bill had fixed the front door again and Tonks, Andromeda, and Bill were discussing just how many more waves they ought to expect. They had already captured twenty-one Death Eaters, after all. Death Eaters might outnumber the Order, but they did not have inexhaustible resources. On the other hand, the defenders only had enough Peruvian Darkness Powder for one more attack, and maybe part of a second.

"Can we get one of them to report back that they were successful and just need to wait for the moon to set?" Andromeda suggested.

Everyone agreed that it was worth a try, but it did take some maneuvering since they would still have to be ready for the next attack until they managed to send such a message. Kingsley separated Yaxley from the rest of the Death Eaters and dragged him over to his position in the living room. Tonks could hear their discussion.

"Report back to your master that you have the werewolf," Kingsley said, and Tonks could almost see him pointing his wand at the bound Death Eater's chest.

"Maybe I should just tell him about your little trick with the lights," Yaxley suggested instead.

"Do that and I'll kill you," Kingsley said with as much menace as Tonks had ever heard.

Yaxley scoffed, then laughed.

"This isn't going to work," Tonks said. Yaxley already knew that betraying Voldemort meant death; they could threaten him with nothing worse. Hell, what were they going to do with the Death Eaters they had already captured? Their usual strategy of modifying their memories and sending them back would only lead to more questions this time, since they could hardly report success and they clearly knew that they had the right address, plus this was far too many Death Eaters to just let go. But they had no place to hold them.

"There are more at the door!" Tonks yelped.

"Stupefy!" Kingsley said.

"Lights," Bill said.

"How many?" Andromeda asked.

Tonks did her spell again, certain that she had not seen properly, or not encompassed the whole area, but the result was the same.

"Just one."

"One?" Kingsley said.

"Maybe that's all they have left?" Andromeda suggested.

"What's he waiting for?" Bill asked.

"I don't-" Then they all heard the door burst open. "Mum, he's closest to you." But a moment later he was in the living room and a moment after that he was right on top of Kingsley and Tonks realized he was going for Yaxley, but how could he see? And how had no one hit him yet? And how was he moving so quickly?

"I think I got him," Kingsley said.

Tonks searched for human presences several times and found one more near Kingsley. Nothing was moving.

"I think you're ri-"

"There's something over here," Bill whispered.

"Can't be," Tonks said to herself. The spell showed nothing, but up until recently Bill had made his living hunting for treasure in cursed Egyptian tombs. She trusted him not to spook easily and start imagining things. Tonks listened hard to the Extendable Ear closest to him and thought she could just hear something…clicking. Clicking. What clicked? Why didn't it appear when she cast Hominum Revelio? Actually, that was obvious enough, she saw at once just how thoroughly their clever plan had backfired.

"It's not human," Tonks said to the people downstairs. "They brought a magical creature."

"It's by the prisoners," Bill said.

"What type of creature?" Andromeda asked.

"What's it doing to the prisoners?" Kingsley asked.

Kingsley's question probably had one of two answers: either it was releasing the prisoners or eating them. Now that Kingsley had brought down the Death Eater that was controlling the creature, what it did next probably depended most upon then answer to Andromeda's question.

Tonks thought hard. What clicked? What was large enough to carry a person but small enough to fit through a door? It moved quickly, and no one downstairs had reported a strange smell. What was smart enough that the Death Eaters could convince it to do what they wanted?

"Can it speak?" Tonks asked.

"You there," Bill called into the darkness. "What type of creature are you? What do you want?"

More clicking, and then a wheezing voice emerged. "Life."

"Your own or someone else's?" Bill asked.

"My own."

"If you go now you can have it. The wizard who was commanding you has been stunned. We'll make no trouble for you if you just leave."

"But I am so hungry."

Tonks guessed that rice and beets were not what this creature had in mind. They only had a few minutes of darkness left, and she did not think she would want to see what the Peruvian Darkness Powder was hiding in that kitchen. Still, better that it take a Death Eater than one of them, right? Wasn't it? One less for them to deal with? Maybe more? So why did the idea make her stomach clench and turn.

Without much wanting to, Tonks cast Hominum Revelio again and counted the same three defenders downstairs with twenty two attackers. This creature had not killed anyone yet, but hold on…she cast the spell again.

"Some of the Death Eaters are moving," Tonks said into the Extendable Ear that Kingsley could hear. "It must have released them."

"Bill, can you see what it is?" Kingsley asked. The Peruvian Darkness Powder downstairs must have been starting to dissipate.

"Nearly, it's still pretty…oh."

"Bill, are you all right?" Andromeda demanded.

"It's an Acromantula," he said.

But at least now they could see the car sized spider that would no doubt enjoy eating them, if given the chance.

"At least it's not a Lethifold," Tonks said. "What about the prisoners?"

"Some of them managed to get out to the garden while it was still dark," Kingsley said. "One's been bitten."

Tonks wanted to hear more about the ones that had gotten free and gone outside. Remus was out there. She heard a series of pops and sizzles from spells ineffectively hitting a target.

"Come on, turn around so we can hit you where it hurts," Bill grumbled.

"The spider is blocking the dining room and the door to the garden," Andromeda explained to Tonks. She had maintained a 'live and let live but spiders should live outside' philosophy with regards to ordinary sized arachnids for as long as Tonks could remember, which begged a few questions about how she was taking the presence of a half ton version in her dining room.

"Are more Death Eaters getting outside?"

"Yes. But we have their wands."

"I have to drop the Extendable Ears."

Tonks did not wait long enough to hear any protests. She got up, shook the numbness out of her legs, released the wards around the study, and crossed to her parents' room, which overlooked the garden. Leaving the lights off, she eased the window open and carefully peered outside. Fortunately, the full moon provided plenty of light, although it was a touch green, oddly. For the moment, the duplicate sheds had the Death Eaters confused, but that would not last long. Tonks raised her wand, took careful aim, and stunned the nearest attacker, ducking back behind the wall as soon as he fell.

The next Death Eater she dropped was getting close to the real shed, but she could not focus on that area or they would figure out where Remus was even more quickly. Lacking wands, one of the Death Eaters managed to toss a rock through the window, but he gave it too much force and it landed on the other side of the room. Tonks peeked out the window and stunned a third Death Eater, and the moment she ducked back down the rock exploded.

Tonks came back to the present slowly, with her ears ringing and her eyes barely working. Most of the bedding had been blown on top of her and she inhaled the odd feather along with the dust. She reached up and rubbed her dazzled eyes, noted that she did not feel burned or broken. Kung Fu gave a desultory kick at the ill treatment. The personal protection wards that Remus had insisted she wear must have held.

"That wasn't a rock," Tonks decided aloud. Her voice sounded dull. Where had that Death Eater gotten a magic grenade? Hadn't Kingsley searched them when he took their wands? How bad was the damage? Was everyone downstairs all right? Did the Death Eaters have more grenades?

She could not answer any of these questions while sitting there blind. Fortunately, her Auror reflexes were still good; it would take more than that to make her lose her wand. Tonks pointed her wand at her own face and muttered a healing spell. Immediately her vision and hearing cleared, but only slightly, enough to see the ruined bed and nightstands, the emptied closest, the cracked wall. Tonks struggled to her feet and saw that every wall in the room was stained with soot, except where she had been leaning, and a jagged hole had been blown in the floor. She could see through to the kitchen below. The Acromantula had found the hole as well and sent a probing leg through, a leg with a string of grenades attached. At least it had finally left its eyes vulnerable. Tonks took full advantage. Hopefully it landed on a Death Eater.

Selfish as it seemed, Tonks could not help but take the fact that no one had yet come up to check on her as an indication that they were in even worse shape downstairs. She chanced a quick glance out the window. The Death Eaters were inspecting the sheds. What were they still looking for? Even if they didn't have wands, the replication was not that good, but it looked like that situation would keep for the moment.

Tonks did another search for human presences. The situation downstairs had changed so much that she could no longer tell who was who, but… She did the spell again. Yes, there was definitely someone coming up the walk. That was just what they needed.

She cast a few quick bracing spells to make sure floor and walls would not collapse, but getting around the displaced bed, the damaged floor, and back to the hall took some maneuvering. Tonks's balance was already compromised, but she managed it. Back in the study, Tonks lunged for the Extendable Ears and was shocked to find Kreacher kneeling on her chair.

"Miss Nymphadora!" he exclaimed.

"Kreacher!"

Tonks's stomach gave another crunch. The longer she looked at the House Elf, the worse he seemed. His pillowcase was torn and there was a deep gash visible across his ribs underneath, one ear drooped unnaturally, and he was visibly trembling.

"What happened?" Tonks asked, putting what she hoped was a reassuring hand on his narrow shoulders.

"They is fighting downstairs," Kreacher replied. "Miss Andromeda said to come and check on Miss Nymphadora in the study, but Miss Nymphadora was not here. Kreacher was afraid."

He must have gotten scared back into his old House Elf training: do what is ordered, or asked, in this case, nothing more, nothing less.

"It's okay, Kreacher, I'm back," Tonks said, listening at the Extendable Ears as she spoke. The one in the dining room must have been severed; she could hear nothing from it. The living room was filled with the sounds of intense fighting. The Death Eaters in there must have gotten back their wands somehow. From time to time she could hear Kingsley, Bill, and Andromeda coordinating their efforts. None of them seemed able to hear her, but at least they were still in the fight. And at the door…

"Ah, Merlin. Is anyone here? Shit…"

"Kreacher, can you go down to the front door and bring whoever is there up here?" She pointed to the opposite corner of the study. "Land him right there if you can, facing away from me, then get clear."

Kreacher nodded his understanding and disappeared with a pop. In the half second it took him to return, something exploded outside. Tonks realized what it had been just after disarming and paralyzing the newcomer.

"Who are you?" Tonks demanded, coming around to look at his face and unfreezing his head so he could speak. He did not look like a Death Eater, more like a student, but one who had been living rough. She pulled his pack off his shoulders, recognizing her father's tent strapped to the outside, and checked his forearm for a tattoo all the same.

"Dean Thomas." He looked her over, then very deliberately kept his eyes on her face. "Is this the Tonks house?"

Something else exploded. This kid was not a threat, Tonks could sort out the rest later. She unfroze Dean, handed back his wand, and said, "I've got to take care of something. Find a way to help if you like."

Tonks rushed back to her parents' room, stomach swooping when she nearly stumbled into the hole in the floor. The Death Eaters had not blown up the real shed yet, but only three were left. Never before had she felt so outsmarted by her enemies, she was even beginning to wonder if they had allowed themselves to be captured on purpose so they could attack en mass when the spider arrived with the grenades. They obviously had no intention of taking Remus alive, but there was still one last resort that they probably had not anticipated.

She raised her wand. At this range, springing the lock would take some careful spellwork. Then she would have to race downstairs and warn the others to get to safety, but with all the Death Eaters in the garden there ought to be time. She took a deep breath and sighted down her wand.

Tonks took another breath. She had the lock in her sights, this was Remus's chance to defend himself. If she waited much longer a cluster of those grenades would tear him apart without him ever knowing what happened. And yet.

Her wand arm dropped to her side before Tonks even realized she had made up her mind. Remus had told her to release him if she was in mortal danger, not if he was. If Tonks knew one thing about him, it was that he would lose almost anything before he would knowingly infect another person with lycanthropy, even a Death Eater, even to save himself. She could not take that decision away from him.

Tonks raised her wand again and summoned all of the grenades to her, then trapped them in a freezing charm. She had no idea how long the charm would last, so she levitated them all and hurried downstairs.

The Death Eaters who were not in the garden, which was most of them, had taken up the fight in the living and dining rooms, so when Tonks reached the foot of the stairs she had enemies on both sides. Dean had better sense than her: he had taken up a station at the top of the stairs and was taking shots at the Death Eaters in the living room, but he lacked a floating cluster of bombs that could explode at any moment. That tended to command attention, make people cautious.

"All right everyone, listen up!" Tonks shouted.

"Nymphadora! What are you doing!" Andromeda shouted back from behind the cover of the armchair. She had a burn on her shoulder and her hair was singed, but otherwise she looked all right, as did Kingsley and Bill.

"I've got this," Tonks told her. "Death Eaters! I think you might recognize these! If anyone some much as thinks of raising their wand…"

She separated the grenades into two groups and used them to herd all of the Death Eaters into a single cluster in the living room. They eyed her angrily and muttered to each other as Andromeda, Kingsley, and Bill squeezed past to join Tonks at the foot of the stairs.

"Look at her hair, she's the shapeshifter."

"Heh, the werewolf lover."

"Forget her hair. Look at the rest of her."

"Werewolf spawn? Disgusting."

"By all means, continue," Tonks told them. "But you should know that I have no idea how long the freezing charm on these grenades will last. I assume you armed at least some of them, but I wonder which ones. They did get pretty mixed up."

That changed their tune. They seemed to be starting to understand that they were outmaneuvered at last.

"I suggest you all move along before I lose patience with you…"

Tonks felt a light touch on her back, then Remus raised his wand alongside hers. The moon had set, he was back. Lightning bolts arced up her spine. On either side of them, Andromeda, Kingsley, and Bill raised their wands as well.

"…before I lose patience with you and the charm slips."

"And if you should decide to call again," Remus added, "you might find that we kept some of these."

He demonstrated his point by taking one of the grenades from Tonks's control and nudging it toward the group of Death Eaters. With much scowling and many insults, they finally shuffled out the broken door.

Working together, Tonks and Remus collected the grenades into a box that Kingsley warded, and they allowed them to detonate.

The task finally done, Tonks collapsed back against Remus and he wrapped his arms tightly around her.

"Are you all right?" he asked and kissed the back of her head. "There's rubble in your hair. Why is there rubble in your hair?"

"I'm fine. You?" They would not be having this same conversation if she had released him from the shed early.

"Fine. What happened?"

"They brought a grenade carrying Acromantula is what happened," Tonks replied.

"I see."

"You were right about those personal wards."

"Well, you know what they say about broken clocks." But he gave her an extra squeeze.

She gripped his arms and wondered if he realized just how close he had come to needing some extra wards himself.

"Remus," Kingsley said, stepping over to shake hands.

"Thank you, again," Remus said. "It looks like this all got a bit bigger than we were expecting."

"They were determined," Kingsley replied. "I can't take all the credit, though. Bill, Andromeda, and Kreacher fought like Aurors, and it was Tonks who broke the stalemate. You should keep her around."

"I intend to," Remus said, and Tonks's stomach gave another little flip. Actually…

Tonks furrowed her brow in thought. That had happened several times now, but she had written it off in the distraction of the fight. She couldn't say if there was any regularity to it, and it didn't precisely hurt like she'd thought it would, but on reflection she had to wonder if all those little crunches were just a warm up for the main event.

Bill had stepped away to consult with some Patronuses and now came back to give his report.

"Mum says all the fighting and searches stopped at moonrise. We were the last to check in, they were about to organize reinforcements."

"Was anyone hurt or…" Remus asked.

"A few burns and cuts," Bill assured him. "It sounds like the Death Eaters did save the main fight for us. Now, I would stay and help clean up, but apparently if Fleur doesn't see me in the next few minutes she's going to go full Veela. And I mean the scary looking kind."

The notion didn't seem to trouble him overmuch.

"Of course," Andromeda said, giving him a quick hug. "Thank you for your help."

"Think nothing of it," Bill replied, going around to shake everyone else's hands.

"Dean!" Remus exclaimed, finally noticing the newcomer when he came the rest of the way down the stairs to greet Bill before the latter took his leave.

"Hello Professor Lupin," Dean replied.

"When did you get here?" Remus asked, releasing Tonks from his embrace but not going far.

"Might've been an hour ago?" Dean guessed. "I was going to camp out until morning, but when I saw the open door and the Dark Mark…"

Kingsley stepped outside at the words 'Dark Mark.' Dissipating those was no easy task, but if anyone could find a way it was him.

"Well it's good to see you again. I'm sorry we couldn't have met under better circumstances," Remus said. Then he ducked down to whisper in Tonks's ear, "I'm really glad I took those extra seconds to put some clothes on."

Tonks snorted, but her stomach crunched again, just a little more insistently this time.

"Are you sure you're all right?" Remus asked, taking her upper arms and looking in her eyes.

"Fine. I'm fine." For now.


	19. What it looks like

**Chapter 19: What it looks like when Voldemort murders someone**

"Dean, was it?" the older woman asked, shaking his hand. "I'm Andromeda Tonks. That's my daughter Nymphadora, but just call her Tonks. The man who just stepped outside is Kingsley Shacklebolt. It seems like you already know Remus, and if you spot a House Elf, that's Kreacher. He's a guest, so be careful not to boss him around."

She said all this very quickly and her hand was trembling.

"I've already met Kreacher," Dean replied.

"Oh, of course," Andromeda said. "Did you come to see Remus?"

"Not exactly."

"Transport out of the country?"

"No, definitely not."

"Where are my manners!" Andromeda exclaimed suddenly. "Would you like some breakfast?" But she turned toward the kitchen and pulled up short. "There's a giant spider in the way."

That there was, and a few unconscious Death Eaters as well. There were more of those in the living room, too, and, yep, in the garden. Andromeda waved her wand and disarmed them.

"What are we going to do about all of them?" she asked, putting one hand on her hip and running the other through her hair.

So this was Ted's wife. Ted had mentioned that some people thought she had a strong resemblance to Bellatrix Lestrange, but for the moment Dean couldn't see it. Maybe that had more to do with her disheveled robes and flummoxed expression than her other characteristics.

"The Dark Mark's gone," Shacklebolt announced. "And I fixed the door."

"We can't keep them," Andromeda continued. It was hard to tell if she was talking to Dean or herself. "Azkaban's no good, obviously."

The book felt unusually heavy in his pocket as he listened to her listing and rejecting option after option.

"Even if we do find a place to lock them up somewhere, if any have Dark Mark tattoos and they manage to get a wand somehow, V- You-Know-Who would know where they are immediately."

"What about putting them someplace they could never-"

"I know we can't kill them, but it would be so much easier."

"We could put them on a deserted island, like Napoleon," Dean said very quickly, so he could get it all out before being interrupted again.

Andromeda looked at him properly for perhaps the first time since they met. "How much do you know about Napoleon?"

The former monarch's name even attracted Tonks and Professor Lupin's attention. They had been talking with Shacklebolt.

"Just a little," Dean replied. Ted had developed a need to talk about something during their lonely nights in the forests. Dean had not been able to help but learn something. "He was marooned on a deserted island, right?"

"That's not bad," Professor Lupin said. "Take their wands so they can't summon their master, put them someplace where they can't get back without magic…"

"Pick up the survivors after the war," Tonks agreed. "Or don't."

"I'll ask Kreacher," Andromeda decided, then she added as an aside to Dean, "He's been helping transport Muggle-borns out of the country."

"I know," Dean replied. No one questioned how he knew, but they had all been fighting for their lives only half an hour ago, he decided to let it go.

Dean helped Kingsley and Professor Lupin arrange the Death Eaters for transport while Tonks did a thorough search of their pockets and Andromeda and Kreacher located an appropriately empty and distant island.

"I hope they like coconuts," Tonks said when Kreacher disappeared with the first few Death Eaters.

"What made you think of Napoleon, Dean?" Professor Lupin asked.

"Oh, um." He gained a moment to think when Kreacher returned for the next set of prisoners, then realized that a moment was not long enough to prepare himself for what he had to say.

"You weren't just passing through," Professor Lupin guessed when Dean failed to continue.

"Maybe we should finish this before I explain," Dean said at last.

Professor Lupin nodded and looked uneasily at Tonks, but she was distracted by the dead Acromantula.

"What are we going to do with that?"

"We could…" Dean said before he had fully considered his idea. "Nevermind." He did not want to think about what would happen to that spider if they sent it to the same island as the Death Eaters.

"A colony of Acromantulas lives in the Forbidden Forest," Professor Lupin said. "We could leave this one at the edge and let them handle it…however they handle it."

Dean didn't know for sure, but he thought that as far as this spider was concerned, the result might be about the same. At least Professor Lupin's way had some circle of life advantages.

"We can put it to Kreacher," Tonks decided. Then she brightened, "Or, we could leave it outside the Ministry and just let them wonder."

"Or Umbridge's house."

Dean thought he said it quietly enough that no one else would hear him, but both Professor Lupin and Tonks snorted appreciatively.

"We could prop it up like it's still alive," Tonks suggested. "I bet we could even find a way to make it move, and jump at her."

"Too bad no one knows where she lives," Professor Lupin pointed out.

"Why'd you have to ruin it," Tonks exclaimed, socking him on the arm. "Dean, great idea, you can stay."

It was intensely odd to see a former teacher around his family, outside of school, all of them interacting like they were normal people and Lupin hadn't once watched Dean almost drop his wand at the sight of his own Boggart or graded the test where Dean mixed up Grindylows and Manticores.

"Thanks," he replied simply.

When Kreacher finished delivering the captured Death Eaters to their new island, Tonks applied to him to take the Acromantula to the Forbidden Forest, and he agreed. With the oversized pest out of the way, Andromeda started cleaning the kitchen and dining area with a vengeance. Not wanting to get in the way, Dean joined Professor Lupin and Tonks in putting the sitting room to rights. Shacklebolt saw to the worst of the structural damage in the kitchen room and upstairs, then excused himself to go and check on his own house.

From time to time as they worked, Dean caught Professor Lupin giving him a searching look. Maybe he was just trying to remember whether Dean had written on his exam that Grindylows sting their victims or that Manticores drown theirs – in fact it had been both – but maybe he was trying to figure out the reason for Dean's visit from body language alone. If that was true then was looking in the wrong place, the reason was still in Dean's coat pocket, now draped over his pack and sitting in the front hall.

"All right, who wants breakfast?" Andromeda called, and Dean caught a whiff of a tantalizing scent. He had not gotten a hot meal in over a month, not since Ted, Dirk, and Gornuk.

"That depends," Tonks shouted back, simultaneously supervising Dean and Professor Lupin's placement of the sofa. "How many Acromantula pieces are in it?"

"None, but I made sure to put extra rubble in yours."

"That seems fair." Tonks made sure Professor Lupin wasn't looking, but Dean happened to see her pull a small clock from her pocket and place it on the mantle with a flummoxed expression.

They all sat down to bowls of rice pudding, Dean taking the empty place next to Andromeda. When her mother looked away, Tonks swapped bowls with Professor Lupin and winked at Dean when she noticed him watching. No matter how much building material his portion did or did not contain, it took all of Dean's self control to keep himself from wolfing it all down at once.

Surely Griphook had not considered food when he decided to wait for Dean outside, maybe Dean should ask about inviting him in. These people seemed universally kind to Kreacher, after all. But Dean had never been able to find the proper footing with Griphook, especially not since Dirk was killed, some days he wondered why they stayed together at all, and Griphook had more than once expounded on the various deficiencies of humans in general and wizards in particular. Dean decided to let Griphook do as he liked today and share out any resources he gained when he left.

"I think last night settles it," Professor Lupin said when they had all slowed enough in their eating to hold a conversation at the same time. "We need to put this house under the Fidelius charm, here and all the other Order safe houses."

"Muggle-borns wouldn't be able to find us anymore," Tonks said.

And it was lucky that Dean had finally come when he did.

"No one's come in weeks," Andromeda said. "Not since Azkaban. Maybe all the Muggle-borns who were going to find us already have."

"You don't know that," Tonks said.

"But last night proves that the Death Eaters know exactly where all of us are," Professor Lupin said. "They could have wiped us out completely. The only reason they didn't is because we guessed when they would attack. Going forward we either need to be ready for another attack at any time or hide. And there aren't enough of us to be ready all the time."

"But…Harry, Ron, and Hermione," Tonks said. "We agreed."

Everyone fell silent. Dean was having serious trouble following the conversation, in fact he was still trying to piece together what had happened with Azkaban, but this seemed the wrong time to ask.

"How are Harry, Ron, and Hermione?" Dean said quietly instead.

"No one knows," Professor Lupin replied at equal volume. "Ron turned up for a little while, but disappeared again. There's been no word at all since, not for months."

"If they do have to resurface, we think they only know the location of three Order safe houses," Tonks explained. "And this is one of them."

"But we'd be even less use to them if the Death Eaters put an end to us first," Andromeda pointed out.

"I know, but…Merlin, I thought we were cooped up before," Tonks muttered.

"I agree with Remus," Andromeda said. "We'll find a way to keep a lookout for Harry, Ron, and Hermione. Kreacher? Are you listening?"

"Kreacher is used to living in a house with a Fidelius charm," he replied.

"I guess that's a yes," Andromeda said.

"He can come and go as he likes no matter what we do," Tonks pointed out.

"But he doesn't, you know."

"Andromeda, I think you should be secret keeper," Professor Lupin said.

"Me? But…one of you would be better suited, surely."

"Of the three of us, you're the only one who isn't being actively hunted," Professor Lupin said. "And, if it comes to that, you've already withstood torture."

"I was really hoping not to have to do that again," Andromeda said.

"Wait a minute," Tonks exclaimed. "Dean, are you staying? There's not much more space, but I can attest that the sofa is very comfortable. And if you want to stay you should get a vote."

"I wasn't planning to stay," Dean replied, a little glumly. He could already see that things could be good for him here, there was food, a real roof, kind people, and if they did follow through on the Fidelius charm he wouldn't be hunted anymore.

"Oh, well, if you change your mind," she offered. "But then why are you here? And how did you find us, for that matter?"

"It's because…" Dean had to clear his throat. "It's because of Ted…er…Mr. Tonks. He and I met on the road."

A deep silence had descended over the table. Somewhere in the middle of it, Kreacher crept up onto the chair next to Tonks to listen.

"He told us," Andromeda said at last in a fragile voice.

"Oh." Dean wanted to ask how, but this wasn't the time. Instead he examined the dregs of his rice pudding and said, "I wouldn't be alive if it weren't for him."

"How did he die?" Tonks asked.

Dean looked up and saw she was gripping Professor Lupin's hand so hard that her knuckles had turned white. He had not expected to tell the end of the story first.

"It was bad luck," Dean said. He had needed to spend many of the lonely nights since it happened replaying that afternoon in his head before finally deciding that was all it had been, bad luck. The worst luck. "We moved around every day or so to avoid detection, and one day we happened to Apparate right in the middle of a group of Snatchers. They…there wasn't much we could do."

"How did you get away?" Tonks asked.

"Ted took us all side along that time," Dean explained. "He realized sooner than the rest of us what had happened, shoved me away, and put up a fight himself. I don't know if he tried to do the same with Dirk, but if he did it didn't work. I already had Griphook's hand, so I Apparated us both back to the last campsite. That was the plan: if we got separated or attacked we would regroup at the last place we were all together, but no one else came."

Dean turned to face Andromeda, because he had finally gotten to the part he needed to say.

"I'm sorry I didn't stay and fight. I don't know what I would have done, but it would have been something, more than I did do.

"And I did go back, after a few minutes, when it was clear that no one else had gotten away. I Apparated a little ways away from where we had landed before, ready to fight, but it was already over by then."

"I'm not," Andromeda said.

Dean couldn't figure out what she meant.

"What?"

"I'm not sorry that you didn't stay and fight. Ted knew what he was doing when he pushed you away. If you'd stayed then in all likelihood you would have been killed as well."

She might be right, but that didn't stop a deep chasm from opening in Dean's chest whenever he thought about it.

"What happened to his…their bodies?" Tonks asked tearfully.

"The Snatchers just left them," Dean said, suddenly wishing he had not been so eager about that rice pudding. He had not been able to eat for days after that fight. "I buried them where they were." It had been difficult. The ground had been frozen. He had needed to use magic to hack out clumps of dirt.

"Thank you," Tonks said, reaching across the table to grasp his hand. "Can you remember the place?"

Dean nodded. As if he could forget.

"What happened to Griphook?" Professor Lupin asked.

"It's been just the two of us ever since. He didn't want to come inside. I could try asking again, maybe it was because of the Dark Mark. He's smarter than me about things like that."

"Goblins is mean to House Elves," Kreacher interjected.

"Because House Elves are subservient to wizards," Dean realized. Months in Griphook and Gornuk's company had taught him a little about Goblin philosophy.

"In that case…" Andromeda started, then paused to think. "Kreacher has done so much to help us, we can't allow someone to berate him because of his occupation, much less his race."

"I'll let Griphook know your conditions," Dean replied. "Really, I'm guessing he'd rather stay where he is. He's not overly fond of wizards, barely tolerates me most days. A whole group of them might be more than he'll want to deal with."

Professor Lupin came and watched at the door while Dean brought out another bowl of rice pudding to Griphook and asked if he would like to come inside. It was as he had expected, Griphook found the company of wizards no substitute for the company of Goblins, and actually asked when they could leave, though he took the pudding.

On his way back to the table, Dean paused and retrieved the book from his jacket and handed it to Andromeda.

"Ted's _The Man in the Iron Mask_ ," she said, recognizing it immediately.

"He read parts of it almost every day," Dean replied. "I thought you'd want it back."

She flipped through the pages and paused where Ted had tucked the picture of the four of them at Tonks and Professor Lupin's wedding.

"Thank you," Andromeda whispered. She looked nearly overcome. Dean wasn't sure what to say.

"Least I could do," he muttered at last.

Andromeda handed the picture across the table to Professor Lupin and Tonks. Dean had noticed that they had the exact same picture hanging in the upstairs hallway, a larger version that hadn't spent months in a book and earned its smudges and worn out edges the hard way. But this was something Ted had chosen to take when he knew he was running into danger and everything had to be carried on his back. Not much sentiment had made it into Dean's pack, now he had to wonder, if he fell too, what trinket would his family value this way. He slipped a hand into his pocket and felt his false Galleon from the DA. It might serve.

"I would have brought back those plates, the green ones with the flowers, but they must have taken a curse," Dean continued. "I tried to repair them, but they wouldn't stay fixed. And the Snatchers took one."

For far from the first time, Dean had to wonder about Ted. He had gone on the run, into exile, and brought multiple plates. He had shared his tent, given his blanket to Griphook and Gornuk, and decided in less time than it took Dean to blink not to leave Dirk to the Snatchers even though he might have been able to get away himself.

Some of the turmoil Dean felt must have shown on his face, because Andromeda moved her chair closer and put her arms around him just as he said, "I should have stayed too."

"Don't say that," Andromeda murmured to him, rubbing his back like his mother had done when he was five. "Don't even think it."

Gradually, Dean's breathing eased and he began to remember that a former professor was in the room with him, although if any of his teachers could be expected to understand and forgive a show of emotion like this it was Professor Lupin.

When Dean finally pulled away from Andromeda he just caught a flicker of movement as Kreacher placed a cup of tea in front of him.

"Thank you, Kreacher," Dean said, rubbing his eyes. "Sorry," he added to everyone else.

"You have nothing to apologize for," Professor Lupin replied firmly.

"Where's your family, Dean?" Tonks asked. "They must be worried about you."

"London, but I can't go back. I tried looking in on them already and a Death Eater was watching the house."

"Maybe I can help with that," Professor Lupin said.

Tonks looked displeased with that idea, and astoundingly Dean wasn't too keen on it either.

"Thanks, but…it was hard enough leaving the first time, and I don't want to put them in danger."

"If you're sure," Professor Lupin said, looking like he could not believe that Dean was sure.

"Do you think you might be able to find a way to get a note to them?" Dean asked.

"Of course," Andromeda replied. She got up and returned a minute later with a few pieces of parchment, inkwell, and quill.

"Thanks," Dean said. "If you don't mind, I'll just go write this."

He left them in the dining room, took a seat on the sofa, and spent a minute just staring at the blank parchment on the coffee table in front of him. Naturally, now that he had a chance to write to his mother, stepfather, and sisters he could think of nothing to say. To make matters worse, he had not seen a quill since the last time he left Hogwarts for the summer holiday, almost a year ago now, and it was an unexpected struggle to get reacquainted with the unruly feather. He tried starting with a salutation and blotted it almost instantly, then drew his wand to siphon away the extra ink and made a hash of that too. In the end he just had to tear off the top of the parchment and start again. At least on the second try it came out legible.

 _Dear_

A decent enough beginning, but then he lost focus and left an L out of Michelle's name. It was infuriating, give him a paintbrush or a piece of charcoal and he could do wonders, but show him a quill after a bit of a break and he went to pieces.

 _Dear Mum, Brian, Elizabeth, Nancy, Michelle, and Cynthia,_

Third time lucky.

 _I hope you are keeping safe. I'm doing fine. There've been some close calls, but I'm all right._

Calling them 'close calls' didn't really seem to do them justice. He had been standing barely a few meters away when the sofa on which he now sat was eviscerated by a rouge curse, and that was probably the safest he had been in all the encounters he could think of. But his parents certainly had enough on their minds without him giving them something else to worry about.

 _I'm sorry I've had to stay away for so long, but_

'But this can't last forever,' was what he almost wrote, except that it was starting to feel like it could, like it might.

 _if I come back now it will only put you in more danger._

And he was out of things to say again. He needed something between 'Three people I was traveling with were killed a month ago and I haven't been able to sleep since' and 'The weather's been terrible.' Finding it was a struggle.

 _There are still pockets of good people. I've been lucky enough to come across some of them._

 _Keep safe. Love,_

 _Dean_

It didn't seem like enough, but it was all he had. He drew his wand again with the idea of cleaning up a few more inkblots, but then decided to leave well enough alone and folded up his letter.

"Thank you," Dean said when he returned to the table and handed the sealed letter to Professor Lupin.

"It would be best if you came with me," he replied, "to show me where to go."

"The address is written on it."

"You wouldn't need to go inside," Professor Lupin said, "but I need someone to watch my back. Andromeda has expressly forbidden Tonks from coming, I think you'll agree with me when I say that Andromeda has seen enough danger for today, and Tonks won't let me go alone, especially since the last time I went out after the full moon I did something rather stupid. You see the conundrum."

Dean thought that if he had written his letter more quickly they might not have had the time to engineer this particular quagmire.

"Also, while we're out you can show me where Ted is buried," Professor Lupin added.

"All right," Dean agreed at once.

Dean took Professor Lupin side along to an alley a street away from his parents' house. His street was not visible when they emerged from the alley, this was London after all and the houses were closely packed. They carefully made their way to the nearest cross street and down to the next block, stepping around drifting piles of trash, alert for the slightest hint of an attack or someone following them, but they saw none.

"You have good timing," Professor Lupin decided. "The Death Eaters must be spent after wasting all of last night trying to capture me."

They had been trying to kill him, Dean had seen those grenades, but he didn't say so because he had just spotted his house and his heart was in his throat. The buildings on either side had broken windows and cracked walls. His house had soot stains all up the brick walls and bright red buckets placed strategically around the perimeter. Dean didn't need to look to know that they were filled with water and sand. He tried not to imagine his sisters panicking when they saw the flames, but it was hard not to.

"Dean?"

He could only point, but Professor Lupin understood.

"I'm going to put up some wards, then see if anyone is home," he replied. "You can find a place to watch from, if you like. Just stay in shouting distance, I think."

Professor Lupin must have known all along that Dean would not be able to hide in the bushes and watch. He was still trying to explain to Dean's mother who he was and why he had come when Dean abandoned his efforts to stay away and ran up to greet her.

"Dean!" she exclaimed, gripping him in a fierce hug. Barely thirty seconds later Cynthia had him by the knees.

"Dean! Dean!" Cynthia shouted. "Come see my new dolly!"

"In a minute, Cynthia," Dean replied, reaching down to pat her head.

"Did you get taller?" Dean's mother, Tess, asked when she finally let him go. He swayed a bit since Cynthia was still hobbling his feet, and decided to pick her up.

"I dunno," Dean said to his mother, though now that he thought about it his sleeves and pant legs had gotten a little short of late.

"Well, come in, come in! Why are we still standing here?"

Tess led the way to the cramped sitting room, but Dean got waylaid by his other sisters before he made it three steps inside. Cynthia squirmed to be let down.

"Dean! You're back! Is it safe now?"

"Dad won't let us go to school since the fire. It's been so boring here."

"Did Harry Potter finally beat You-Know-Who? I want to hear about it!"

"Look! Here's my dolly!"

It was a plush witch, replete with black robes, green socks, pointed hat, and a plush broom stitched to one hand.

Dean caught Professor Lupin's eye with what he had intended as a 'What can you do?' expression, but he suspected that it turned out as more of a dopey smile. Professor Lupin just grinned back.

"Girls! Give your brother some space!" Tess commanded when she returned from the kitchen with a tray of tea things. "Please have a seat, Professor. Dean, Brian is at work, but he'd be so happy to see you. Should I call him?"

"Best not," Dean replied. "I shouldn't stay long." Cynthia clambered onto the sofa and took her customary place next to him. She started waving her witch doll around, making whooshing sounds like it was flying.

"I see," Tess replied in a voice full of regret. "So the situation is no better, I take it?"

"If anything, it's been getting worse," Professor Lupin said, accepting a cup of tea.

"Well, tell me everything, Dean. You have no idea of the scenarios that I've thought up over the past months."

"Oh, well," Dean hedged. He had written that letter precisely so he could avoid telling her everything. "Mostly I've just been hiding, camping out in the woods, moving around every few days…"

"And you met Mr. Lupin along the way?" Tess guessed. "Are you Muggle-born too?"

This was the exact part of the story that Dean had been trying to avoid. While he was still trying to work out what to say, Professor Lupin took over.

"Please call me Remus, and no, I'm not a Muggle-born. Dean actually met my father in law, Ted, who is a Muggle-born, or was, I should say."

"I see," Tess said, turning a narrow-eyed look toward Dean, who realized he should have known better than to try and pull one over on his mother.

"Ted and I and a few others met up and stuck together for a couple months," Dean explained. "But eventually we ran into a group of Snatchers…er, thugs who round up people who have been trying to evade the Ministry. Ted saved me but was killed himself. I was just returning something to his family."

"Oh, dear, I'm terribly sorry."

"Thank you," Professor Lupin replied.

With typical four year old timing, Cynthia chose the silence that followed to interject, "I'm gonna be a witch too!"

"We'll discuss that later, Cynthia," Tess said evenly.

Professor Lupin caught Dean's eye, but Dean could only shrug. Elizabeth and Nancy would have already gotten their Hogwarts letters if they were witches, but he did not know if Michelle or Cynthia had displayed signs of magic.

"I really shouldn't stay," Dean forced himself to say after a time.

"But you don't know you're really a Muggle-born," Tess argued, and not for the first time. How long had this argument gone on back in November, when Dean left for the first time?

"I told you before, Mum, they want proof, and it's probably too late even for that."

"I swear I will never forgive that man."

"Things have worked out all right, haven't they?" That was an old argument too.

"You could be killed because he didn't tell me he was a wizard!"

"Maybe he wasn't!"

"What was your father's name, Dean?" Professor Lupin asked in a quiet voice.

Dean's Mum answered. "Martin Bright. Why?"

Professor Lupin's face crinkled slightly as he searched his memory. "I went to school with some of the parents of the current students. It was a long time ago, but I thought maybe if we were within a few years of each other I might recognize the name. Unfortunately I don't, and Bright isn't the name of an old wizarding family, but neither of those things mean he wasn't a wizard. Up until recently it would have been easy enough to check the records."

The last part was said without recrimination, but Dean felt criticized all the same. In fact, it had occurred to him a few times to try and settle once and for all whether or not his father had been a wizard, but something had always stopped him: uncertainly about how to even make such an inquiry, the sense that looking into the man would give him more recognition than he deserved, and Dean finally realizing that he knew who he was and confirming his blood status wouldn't make a difference. Except that now it did, and it was too late.

"Bast- er," Tess broke off, remembering Cynthia was in the room. "He probably gave me a false name anyway."

And there was that possibility.

"Do you have a picture of him?" Professor Lupin asked. "I'm trying to remember if I knew anyone at Hogwarts who resembled Dean, but it's hard to say for sure."

"Listen, it doesn't matter," Dean finally had to say. "Nothing we find right now will convince a group of Snatchers not to take me prisoner."

"Sorry," Professor Lupin said. "Harry's my only other experience in these matters, and he's obsessed with figuring out what his parents were like."

"I know who my parents are," Dean replied. He caught sight of his Mum's eyes welling up before she turned away and knew that statement would be repeated to Brian when he got home. But that was fine, it was something he should have said long ago. "I really should get going."

"Take me!" Cynthia exclaimed.

"I can't," Dean replied with patience. "It's dangerous. There's lots of…"

That was no good. Cynthia loved camping, or claimed she would when she tried it.

Dean tried again. "I've been traveling with…"

Griphook was no deterrent either, she would just want to meet him. And if anyone could make Griphook warm up to humans it was Cynthia. She loved everything and everyone, except broccoli, and she would probably make her peace even with that, sooner or later.

"It's cold outside, you get cranky when you're cold."

"Do not."

"Cynthia, you can't go with Dean, you'd have to leave all your toys behind," Tess said.

"Oh yeah," Cynthia replied. It was nice to know that Dean ranked below toys when she listed what was important to her. "Come back soon, okay?"

"Okay," Dean said. "I'm going to get some fresh clothes."

He stood and crossed to the hallway, where Michelle intercepted him.

"You can't come out yet," she said.

"Why not?"

"You'll ruin your surprise."

"You weren't supposed to tell him there was a surprise!" Nancy shouted from the kitchen.

"What surprise!" Cynthia cried, racing from the living room and past Michelle into the kitchen.

"Can I go to my room?" Dean asked. "I promise to act surprised."

Michelle mulled it over and finally let him up the stairs.

Dean's room was just how he had left it, not even any dustier. He went to the dresser and pulled out the clothes he wanted, stuffed them in a bag, and turned in a slow circle, trying to think of anything else he might need.

His school trunk sat abandoned in the corner. The best painting he had ever done, of the Quidditch pitch at Hogwarts, had a place of honor on the wall across from the bed, and his paint set was strewn across his desk. His guitar sat in its case against the wall next to the dresser. Dean knew he couldn't take it, but he picked it up anyway, pulled out the guitar, tuned it, and strummed a few chords. After a time he realized he was playing Pinball Wizard and carried on to the end. Besides that, there was nothing else he needed here.

Dean returned downstairs and nearly crashed into his sisters as they trooped into the sitting room. He followed with some trepidation. The fact that they had done their planning in the kitchen had lulled Dean into guessing that their surprise involved food, but he did not see any plates. He could only hope that Professor Lupin would watch whatever they were about to see with a sense of humor. Nancy started some music. The surprise turned out to be a dance.

Elizabeth must have originated the idea. She had taken classes and showed off her skills while Nancy and Michelle attempted a waltz nearby and Cynthia turned clumsy half-cartwheels in the foreground. Once they settled into a pattern, Dean made the mistake of thinking that he might make it out of this without losing too much of Professor Lupin's respect, but that was not to be.

Elizabeth pulled Dean out of his chair without even giving him a chance to resist and told him they were swing dancing. Dean remembered the steps well enough, Elizabeth often asked him to help her practice when he was home on summer holidays, and before too long his self-consciousness fell away and he just spun his sister around to the fast beat. Eventually Cynthia cut in, and by the end of the song Dean was spinning around in a ring with four of his favorite people. They all took a bow to the applause of their mother and Professor Lupin.

"Why do you have to go, Dean?" Cynthia asked, sparing him the pain of having to remind them that he couldn't stay long.

"There are some bad wizards who think I did something wrong, even though I didn't," Dean explained. He and Cynthia had discussed this point over and over the day he left the first time. "If I stay, they'll look for me here, and they'll be mean to you."

"Why don't you tell them you didn't do anything wrong?"

"They won't listen."

"Are you going to defeat the bad wizards?" Michelle asked.

"Not by myself, but with a lot of people like Professor Lupin, Harry Potter, and me all working together, it'll be hard, but I'm sure we can." It all sounded a lot simpler when explained to a seven year old.

"Be careful, Dean," Elizabeth said. She and Nancy might not have any experience with magic, but they were old enough to understand some of the nuances of what Dean faced outside.

"Do you need anything else?" Tess asked. "Food or blankets or…"

"I'm fine, Mum," Dean replied. "Thank you. Tell Brian I'm sorry I missed him."

And that was all they could say. They exchanged some last hugs, Cynthia had to be more or less pried off of Dean's leg, Dean grabbed his bag of fresh clothes, Professor Lupin looked outside to make sure no Death Eaters had appeared while they were talking, and they stepped out onto the doorstep.

"Can you take us to someplace close to where you buried Ted so we can check the area first?" Professor Lupin asked.

"Sure," Dean replied, seeing how thoughtful the older man looked and hearing how he had not commented on Dean's antics with his sisters. He gripped Professor Lupin's shoulder and Apparated them both to a point about a quarter of a kilometer from the cherry tree.

Almost all of the snow had melted since Dean was last here and a few hardy, Scottish buds were starting to appear on the trees. He worried that he would not recognize the place when he saw it in the changed landscape. They stuck close together as they crept through the forest in a circle around their destination. While they walked side by side, Dean realized that he must have grown at least a foot since he was a third-year.

"Are you all right?" Professor Lupin whispered eventually.

"What? Fine. Why?"

"You're family is lovely," he replied. "It can't be easy leaving them behind again."

"It's not," Dean said. Then he just had to add, "I haven't mixed up Grindylows and Manticores since."

"Since when?"

"Since your test," Dean replied, then realized that Professor Lupin had most likely forgotten marking that disastrous series of wrong answers in the time since. And here Dean had been agonizing over it.

"Oh, I was wondering when you would have had the opportunity, those two don't generally mix," Professor Lupin replied. "But it sounds like you did learn the difference, and that's the point, isn't it?"

"I suppose." He wouldn't have minded a better score on that exam, though.

They returned back to where they had started and began again in a tighter circle.

"You're not still thinking of me as your teacher, are you?" Professor Lupin asked. He seemed to take Dean's silence as confirmation. "You've met my family, I've met yours, we literally have each other's lives in our hands right now. We're still not past being student and professor?"

Dean knew that he had a point, but it was difficult to stop seeing a teacher he respected as a marble hewn source of knowledge and authority and start seeing him as a normal person.

Professor Lupin stepped on a twig and jumped and spun at the sound of it breaking.

"Are you all right?" Dean asked him after he had shaken off the scare.

"Fine," he replied. "Lost focus for a second."

"Er…Something on your mind, Profe-" Dean forced himself to stop. Professor Lupin smirked at the slip.

"It was just…nice watching you with your sisters. Tonks and I are both only children, so we don't know what it's like. For most of my life I never thought I would have a child at all, and now you've got me wondering."

"Ah," Dean replied, really not sure how to respond to that.

"Of course, there's still the lycanthropy risk to settle," Professor Lupin admitted.

"Um-hm." At least he didn't seem to be looking for real replies.

"We should probably just stick with the one for now, I suppose."

Fortunately, Dean had a good reason to change the subject.

"That's the place," he said, pointing.

The uneven ground over the two graves made them easy to spot, but at least they looked undisturbed. The cherry tree that hung over them was one of the stalwart ones that was already beginning to shake off winter, which Dean thought fitting. They approached with reverence.

"I'd heard you were traveling with another Goblin," Professor Lupin said in an undertone, standing at the foot of the graves.

"Griphook insisted on bringing back his body for a proper Goblin burial right away," Dean replied at the same volume.

"What does a proper Goblin burial look like?" Professor Lupin asked, willing to follow his curiosity anywhere, like a true academic. Ted had been the same. Dean thought those two must have gotten along.

"I don't know, I had to wait outside of their community," Dean said.

In fact, it had only been Griphook's influence that let him get that close. He hadn't been able to understand what they were saying, but he was pretty sure that most of the Goblins he saw that day had thought he should be blindfolded with cotton stuffed in his ears, or even bound and gagged, but Griphook prevailed. While the adults were distracted with Gornuk's burial, some of the younger Goblins had ventured out to investigate Dean, and before long he had been surrounded. He had never seen a child Goblin before, and had cause to wonder if they had ever seen a human; they kept counting his fingers, and eventually one had removed his shoes and socks so they could count his toes, too. Dean only hoped he had made a good impression on them. Certainly the encounter had caused trouble when the older Goblins returned.

"Which one is Ted?" Professor Lupin asked.

"On the right." Dean pointed.

Professor Lupin nodded but didn't move for a time. Eventually, Dean got to his knees and started crumbling up the topmost clods of dirt. The ground had been too frozen before to make a smooth surface, something that had bothered him ever since.

"The ground might still be frozen," Professor Lupin said eventually.

Dean caught his eye and crumbled another piece of dirt in counterpoint.

"Further down, I meant. This might be the best time to move him. Or look at him. How did he die? Er, I mean…"

Dean knew what he meant. "He didn't look injured." He had to tell the truth, but the rest of the truth was that he didn't want to remove the dirt from this grave and see his dead friend again. He didn't even want to know that someone else had disinterred him.

Professor Lupin nodded. Dean started crumbling the dirt more quickly, hoping the other man would realize what Dean already knew: that this was a good and beautiful place and Ted should stay here.

"I don't know if seeing him would help Tonks and Andromeda," Professor Lupin continued, pacing a little. "They don't seem to have had trouble accepting that he's gone. And if we did move him, where would we put him? The garden seems like the obvious place, but Andromeda loves working there, and maybe she would like it a little less if Ted's grave was in sight."

"You could still move him later, if you want," Dean forced himself to say.

"I just want to do the right thing for Tonks and Andromeda."

"What about what's right for Ted?"

"He didn't leave instructions, we looked," Professor Lupin said. "I wish we could ask him, but…"

"Ted picked this place to camp," Dean said. "He never complained, but he was getting homesick, I could tell, and he was really excited to come here. I couldn't figure out what was special about this spot at first. It was cloudy for a while but cleared up by the time I finished with the graves."

"What are you talking about?"

"Come with me."

The summit was only a short hike away, barely enough to get them above the treetops. Dean heard Professor Lupin gasp when he saw it. A moment later Dean could see for himself: a clear view down to the valley below where Hogwarts stood at the edge of the lake.

"Oh," Professor Lupin breathed. In a reverent voice he added, "Ted once told me that he proposed to Andromeda at the top of a mountain. I wonder if it was this one." He snorted quietly. "I bet it was this one. His proposal story really is better than mine."

"I hope they're all right in there," Dean said, looking at Hogwarts.

"They're…I don't know if 'all right' is the word, but they're managing," Professor Lupin replied. "Tonks has been in contact with Neville and Ginny, organizing a rebellion, and they'll be heading home for Easter break soon."

"That's only a couple days," Dean said. "No one ever used to leave for Easter."

"I know. You'd think Snape would take a hint."

"He never struck me at being much good at that."

"Oh, no, he excels at taking hints," Professor Lupin said. "It's what he does with them that's the trouble."

"Ignore them?"

"Less often than you'd think."

"Has Tonks heard anything about Seamus?"

Professor Lupin thought about it. "Not that I remember, but if anyone really gets into trouble we usually hear about it one way or another."

"That's not very reassuring."

"I know, but it's all we have, and it's better than most people get right now. Anyway, we can't stay here forever."

Dean nodded but didn't move just yet. He wanted to burn this view into his memory. The last time he had seen it there had been too much glare from the snow to really appreciate the beauty, now he could see it a little better, enough to know that if he came back at sunrise, once spring had really gotten a foothold, he would really have something worth painting.

By the time Dean returned to the cherry tree, Professor Lupin was had found a suitable rock and was levitating it over to the head of Ted's grave. Once it was in place he inscribed Ted's full name and the years of his birth and death. He raised his wand again, hesitated, tilted his head to the side, and lowered his wand.

"Don't these usually say something more than that?" Dean asked. He was genuinely unsure, having not spent much time in graveyards. Dumbledore's was the only formal funeral he had ever been to, and Ted and Dirk's the only informal one.

"Not always," Professor Lupin said. "Ted's ought to, but I should ask what Tonks and Andromeda want it to say."

"Well, try and convince them to add something about what a good teacher he was," Dean said. He had watched what Professor Lupin did to etch the stone and now made a maker for Dirk's grave as well.

"You really don't want to stay? We decided to go through with the Fidelius charm while you were working on your letter, you'll be out of danger. The food is nothing to write home about, but it might get better now that it's warming up and Andromeda can restart her garden."

Dean shook his head. "I don't want to be out of danger. All of my friends are at school, right in the middle of it."

"There's no shame in waiting until the right moment comes along."

"It's not just me I'm thinking of, though," Dean said. "There's Griphook too. He can't stay with you if it makes Kreacher uneasy. The Ministry is after Griphook and he said if he stays for too long in his community he'll put everyone there in danger, it might even start another Goblin war. That's why he went on the run in the first place. And Goblins can't Apparate, so if I let him fend for himself he'll be that much more vulnerable."

Professor Lupin regarded him for a long moment. "You're a better person than most, Dean."

Dean ducked his head. "I doubt it."

"Your mother thanked me for looking out for you. If you leave, I…I can't go with you right now."

"I know, it's all right. You're looking out for me right now. And Griphook and I have managed well enough so far."

"There's something students don't seem to realize about their teachers," Professor Lupin said. "We have a bad habit of thinking that old students are still just as they were when they finished our classes. I know this isn't the end of your third year, and you've learned much more than I ever taught you, but on some level, when you go I'll feel like I'm letting a fourteen year old kid go out into the wild with only a Goblin for company."

Dean wasn't sure what he was supposed to do about that. He had already laid out his reasons for leaving and had no intention of changing his mind. Did Professor Lupin want some kind of proof that Dean knew how to look after himself? Hadn't he already done that by surviving for almost a month after Ted and Dirk died?

"Still, that's my problem, not yours," Professor Lupin decided. "Griphook is probably getting bored of waiting for you by now."

"He's always grumpy, I won't be able to tell the difference," Dean said, relieved that it seemed Professor Lupin was not going to put up any further resistance.

Professor Lupin turned back to the new headstone, placed a hand on it, then stepped aside. Dean repeated his actions, and then they both Apparated back to the Tonks house. Kreacher traded passwords with Professor Lupin while Dean checked on Griphook and took back the empty bowl.

"Miss Andromeda and Miss Nymphadora are upstairs," Kreacher informed them.

"What are they doing?" Professor Lupin asked, immediately jumpy.

"Repairing Miss Andromeda's bedroom."

"Ah. Thank you, Kreacher." He ran a hand over his brow.

"Maybe I should just go," Dean said, stuffing his fresh clothes into his pack.

"Not without saying goodbye," Professor Lupin replied.

And giving Tonks and Andromeda another stab at convincing him to stay, Dean thought.

Professor Lupin seemed to guess Dean's concern and headed him off by going upstairs to fetch the other two while Dean was still putting Griphook's bowl back in the kitchen.

Sure enough, as soon as she saw him, Andromeda said, "Are you sure you won't stay, Dean? There's always room for one more."

"Thank you, but I can't." How many times would he have to explain?

But then Tonks appeared, apparently making her way down the stairs by feel, and said, "Thank you for returning my father's book, Dean. It means so much to know that he met someone like you on the road. I hope you'll come and find us again when this is over."

It was such an unexpected change in sentiment that Dean only managed to respond to the last part of it.

"You really think this will end?"

"It must, sooner or later, history says so. And…I have to believe it will be sooner."

She took Professor Lupin's hand. He suddenly looked tired and drawn.

"After we perform the Fidelius charm you won't be able to find us again," Professor Lupin said. "Unless you stay until afterwards."

That Dean actually had to consider. It would be good, wouldn't it, to have a place to come back to if the road finally proved too dangerous, or he parted ways with Griphook. And if he was not secret keeper then he could not betray them to the Death Eaters, no matter what they did to him…unless their secret keeper died, and people died all the time…

"I can't." He needed a different reason why, though. If they were still planning to use Andromeda as secret keeper he could not look any of them in the eye and say he was worried she would be killed. No more than he could Professor Lupin or Tonks. "I need to find Dirk Cresswell's family."

At least it was true.

"Oh." Professor Lupin said. "I never met Dirk, I have no idea where he lived, but Arthur Weasley was friends with him, or at least he took the news of Dirk's death poorly. Maybe he would know."

"Then I should go ask him," Dean said with relief. "Before they perform the Fidelius charm themselves."

"Yes, true," Professor Lupin replied. "I'll go with you and do the introductions."

"Thank you," Dean said, "for everything."

"No, thank you," Tonks replied, pulling him into an awkward hug. She also whispered in his ear, "Well played. Good luck out there."

Andromeda embraced him as well, and added, "Give our regards to Griphook."

"I will," Dean replied and, regretfully, retrieved his pack and followed Professor Lupin back outside. Griphook was more or less where Dean had left him, looking surly, although that seemed to just be his usual expression.

"I hope you weren't too cold out here," Dean said to him.

"As I told you, I would just as soon not associate with so many humans in such a small space," Griphook replied, glancing at Professor Lupin dubiously.

"Then you may not like where we're going next. Professor Lupin knows someone who might be able to tell us where we can find Dirk's family."

"Then I shall attempt to tolerate them," Griphook said. "Let us go."

Dean took Griphook's hand and Professor Lupin's shoulder and allowed himself to be guided to the Burrow. Once they landed in the garden, Professor Lupin went to knock on the door while Dean inspected the building. It was not as he had expected, even with the benefit of Ginny's description, but seemed fitting nevertheless, in a homespun sort of way. That was about the time he realized he was calling unannounced at his ex-girlfriend's house, with the purpose of speaking with her father. Professor Lupin was exchanging passwords like he had done with Kreacher at the Tonks house, speaking through the door with a male voice that Dean didn't recognize, and Dean knew four of the seven Weasley men. The door opened, and sure enough, there stood someone who could only be Ginny's father.

"Arthur," Professor Lupin said. "This is Dean Thomas and Griphook. They met Dirk on the road and want to return something to his family."

"That's very decent of you, gentlemen," Mr. Weasley replied, coming out to shake their hands. "Anything I can do to help. I've heard all about you, of course," he added to Dean.

Dean managed to make a choking noise, barely. For the first, and almost definitely the last time in his life, he was glad that Ginny had been the one to break up with him.

"Well, come in, come in," Mr. Weasley invited, leading the way inside. Fred, George, and two older red haired men were sitting around the table and a woman who had to be Mrs. Weasley was bustling around the kitchen. "No sense standing out in the cold. Your timing is impeccable, by the way. Another hour and you wouldn't have been able to find us. Remus, you may as well stay until we've cast the Fidelius charm, save me the trouble of having to remind you where we are later. Dean, Griphook, you're welcome to stay as well, but let me go and find that address." And he hurried up the stairs.

Dean exchanged waves with Fred and George, but Mrs. Weasley took over the talking.

"Bill said you all ended up with quite the fight on your hands," she said, distributing cups of tea to the people seated at the table and going back to the kitchen for more.

"It sure seemed that way," Professor Lupin answered. "I only got to see the very end, of course."

"There wasn't much to see for the rest of it, either," Bill said. "Dark, remember?"

Fred and George snorted into their tea.

"And how is Tonks?" Mrs. Weasley persisted. "It can't be long now."

"She's doing well, thanks. You know Tonks," Professor Lupin replied, rubbing his neck, "she started the fight as a lookout and ended it by single handedly outmaneuvering fifteen Death Eaters to a stalemate."

"Told you so," Bill muttered to Charlie. Fred held out a hand and Charlie grudgingly dropped a few Sickles into it.

"Here we are," Mr. Weasley said, returning and handing Dean a slip of paper with the Cresswell's address written on it. "It's not far from here, but do you need to look at a map? Or perhaps I should go with you…"

"The tracker, Arthur," Mrs. Weasley said.

"Mmph, right," Mr. Weasley muttered. "The new regime seems to think I'm worth following. I can defeat the spell when I need to, but if I'm spotted somewhere and the spell says I'm someplace else…you can see the dilemma."

Actually, Dean felt he would need a minute of quiet, out of the company to his ex-girlfriend's family, to figure out the issue there, so for the time being he just took Mr. Weasley at his word.

"Will you come back after you've finished with the Cresswells?" Mrs. Weasley asked. "We have the room these days."

It took hard work not to agree. Dean had to remind himself several times that this was his ex-girlfriend's family. Things would not get less awkward once they started to acknowledge that, and it would only get worse if Ginny did come home for Easter. Still, all this bustle made him homesick.

Griphook caught Dean's eye, a pained and overwhelmed expression on his face. That decided it.

"Thanks Mrs. Weasley, Mr. Weasley," Dean said. "But we should be on our way. I'll give your regards to the Cresswells."

"If you insist," Professor Lupin replied, shaking his hand. "Take care of yourself out there."

"You too."


	20. Almost uniquely

Author's note: The passage Remus reads is from _The Man in the Iron Mask_ , by Alexandre Dumas. Thanks for reading, and extra thanks for the reviews. They make my day.

 **Chapter 20: Almost uniquely among fantastic creatures**

Patronus messages used to be a cause for concern, but since the Order had officially gone into hiding they were becoming more common out of simple necessity, or according to Fred and George, the only way to distribute riddles. Still, Remus's heart gave a jump when Arthur's marten appeared on the coffee table in front of him, Andromeda let out a small "Yip!" and even Tonks lifted her head, something she had vowed not to do until it was time for bed.

"Ron, Harry, and Hermione are at Shell Cottage," the marten reported in Arthur's voice. "Have been for a few days. Snatchers caught them, but they escaped and rescued Ollivander, Dean Thomas, Luna Lovegood, and Griphook. Dobby died to save them."

And with that, the Patronus faded away.

For a moment, it was all the four of them could do to look at each other in wonder.

"Did I hear that right?" Andromeda asked eventually.

Remus had been asking himself the same thing and had half a mind to send a return Patronus and tell Arthur he ought to come over in person and explain himself properly.

"They rescued Luna?" Tonks asked. "How did they even know she was captured?"

"They've been back for days and this is the first we're hearing about it?" Remus demanded.

"How did Dean get captured?" Andromeda wondered.

"Dobby is dead?" Kreacher asked desolately, bringing the rest of them back to their senses. "And Master Harry is found?"

"Well, I don't know about you lot," Tonks said, straightening up in preparation to stand. Remus automatically held out a hand for her to use as leverage. "But I think this information warrants some in-person investigahhh…"

Remus was a split second in figuring out what had happened, why she was squeezing his hand hard enough to crush the bones together, or so it felt, and then he was on his feet, free hand on her back. She gathered up the cloth of his robes at the shoulder in her other hand and thumped her head against his chest a few times, shifting her weight from foot to foot.

Andromeda was beside them a moment later, saying, "You're all right, this is normal. You're all right."

"Breathe, baby, you have to breathe," Remus added, rubbing her back in support and was gratified to feel her take his advice. They might have been dancing if she had not been trying to wrench his arm off at the elbow.

"…urgh." She finally relaxed against him and took a few deep breaths. "So that's what that's like," she decided eventually. "Not fun."

"I'll summon Molly," Andromeda said. "You two settle in. Nymphadora, metamorphmagus or not, you've got some work to do."

* * *

"'I shall be free,' said D'Artagnan, as he galloped along, 'to have a little talk with Aramis this evening. And then, Monsieur Fouquet is a man of honor. _Mordioux!_ I have said so, and it must be so.'" Remus read in his most soothing voice. He had been only a few pages from the end of a chapter when circumstances forced him to stop, and now that Andromeda and Molly had left the three of them alone for a time, each in his or her own skin, Tonks had asked him to continue. Teddy lay nestled in her arms, all fingers and toes accounted for, dark eyes looking everywhere.

"And this was the way how, toward seven o'clock in the evening, without announcing his arrival by the din of…"

Remus fancied that he had gotten rather adept at turning pages one handed over the past few hours, but it still took him a moment. Teddy's grip was nowhere near as strong as Tonks's had been, and his tiny hand could only wrap around the tip of one of Remus's fingers, but he could not have taken his hand back if he wanted to.

"…by the din of trumpets, and without even his advanced guard, without outriders or musketeers, the king appeared before the gate of Vaux where Fouquet, who had been informed of his royal guest's approach, had been waiting for the last half hour, with his head uncovered, surrounded by his household and his friends.

"Chapter Thirteen: Nectar and Ambrosia"

But Tonks's head was drooping onto his shoulder. Setting the book aside, Remus gently straightened her back to center and propped pillows around her. She didn't stir until he came around to her side of the bed and started to extract Teddy from her arms.

"Nnnnn…"

"Shh, shh. It's just me. Go ahead and sleep. I'll look after him for a little while."

She mumbled something that might've been "Mind his head" and relinquished their child to him. Remus would have brushed her hair out of her face, but both hands were occupied with supporting Teddy. He would have kissed her forehead, but worried about even leaning over while holding the infant.

"You are amazing," he whispered to her instead.

Not really sure what to do with the baby now that he held him, and not wanting to leave in case Tonks woke up and wondered where they were, Remus paced around the small room for a time. Eventually, he just started talking.

"I thought your hair was darker before. Did you do that on purpose? How do you know what color your hair is? Or what color hair is supposed to be? Molly's books said you can't even see color yet. Yes, I read those, don't tell your mother."

Tonks was the mother of this child in his arms. Remus had known it all along, but it was still an astounding thing to realize.

"Her name is Nymphadora, but don't ever, ever call her that. Your name is Teddy, you were named after your grandfather, and I'm really sorry that you'll never get to meet him, but we'll tell you all about him when you're older. My name is Remus, but you can call me Dad if you want. Actually…you should call me that. I'm your dad."

Speaking of astounding things.

"There's something else you should know about me. I'm a werewolf, and it hurts. I really hope you're not a werewolf too, but if you are I'll be with your for every second of it, for…for as long as you'll let me. Are you a werewolf? There's no way to tell until the next full moon. I don't know what we're going to do if you are. Please, please don't be a werewolf."

Teddy had fallen still. Remus held his breath and watched his child's chest rise and fall for a few seconds.

"You're falling asleep, aren't you? That's all right. You rest up, we'll talk later."

Remus tried to lower his son into the cradle, but no matter what he tried Teddy always threatened to wake before he was out of Remus's arms. Tonks looked like she could sleep for a year, so Remus decided to find Andromeda and Molly and ask their advice.

They were down in the sitting room, chatting quietly over cups of tea. Remus balked at the stairs and after some hesitation decided to descend on his rear, one step at a time, feeling completely foolish. Andromeda and Molly exchanged looks that Remus could not interpret but thankfully refrained from comment.

"Is Nymphadora asleep?" Andromeda asked instead.

Remus nodded and whispered in reply, "So is Teddy, I think. How do I set him down without waking him up?"

"Very carefully," Andromeda whispered back. "You'll get the hang of it."

"And the stairs too," Molly added with a smile. So much for them letting that lie.

"I'll take him for now," Andromeda said with unmistakable eagerness.

Remus let her lift Teddy away from him. The baby barely even stirred during the exchange.

"You were right," Andromeda observed to Molly. "Like riding a broomstick."

"Wasn't his hair darker before?" Molly asked.

"Nymphadora's did the same thing."

"He's a metamorphmagus," Remus added, sitting down. "It's why we called him Kung Fu."

"Well right now his hair is the exact same shade as yours, Remus," Molly remarked.

Remus had not noticed before, but now that he looked more carefully he saw that she was correct. All of a sudden he found he could not possibly sit still, not even stand still, that if he tried he would vibrate apart. The same if he attempted to contain the wide grin on his face.

"Who already knows?" he asked.

"Arthur and Ginny were there when Andromeda summoned me," Molly replied. "I told them it was over and everyone's fine, but nothing more."

"I have to tell everyone!" Remus exclaimed and got half way to the door before sense caught up with him. He checked his momentum and raised his wand instead, but this was not the type of news one sent by Patronus, especially not in one particular case. "Is Harry still at Shell Cottage?"

Molly nodded. Andromeda said, "Go on. Nymphadora will sleep for hours, I imagine, and I can take care of Teddy."

The baby was snuggled in her arms, his hair back to dark, the shade Tonks's would be if she didn't alter it. He must really be asleep now.

"I'll be back soon," Remus said, and found that it actually hurt a little to leave, even for a short time, even on so happy a mission. But he did. There was a question he needed to ask someone.

When he landed on the walk of Shell Cottage, Remus was immediately grateful he'd had the presence of mind to grab his cloak off the hook on the way out: a terrible storm was underway, but he strode through it undeterred and banged on the door hard to make himself heard over the wind.

Home visits had gotten more complicated since the Order finally had to disappear once and for all, but Remus and Bill came to terms without too much difficulty, actually, less difficulty that Remus had expected: he was leaning on the door when Bill pulled it open and he more or less fell inside. He barely even had his feet back by the time the announcement burst out of him.

"It's a boy! We've named him Ted, after Dora's father!"

He heard shrieks of joy, exclamations of surprise, congratulatory cries, and must have said something in response, but he hardly heard them or himself because that was when he spotted Harry across the room. His hair was longer than usual and at least as disheveled, and he looked thin and tired and had someone else's wand in his lowered hand, and his expression was one of surprise and wonder. Remus more or less jogged across the room and grabbed the younger man up in a fierce hug, trying to convey all the gratitude and apologies that he could in that simple gesture before letting him go.

"You'll be godfather?"

Harry hardly seemed to know how to react. Remus knew the feeling. He took Harry's acceptance with gratitude, and allowed Bill and Fleur to convince him to stay for a drink, then for another. Dean tipped his glass to Remus, and Remus tipped his back. Luna pressed a sand dollar into his hand.

"For Ted," she said.

"Thank you," Remus said, not quite sure what to do with it but grateful all the same. "Tonks was so happy to hear you're all right. She could hardly live with herself after you were captured. Why didn't you want us to try and rescue you?"

"I was fine," she replied. Remus did not think he had ever heard anyone else describe their state while imprisoned by Death Eaters as 'fine.' "I couldn't write well enough on the coin to tell you Mr. Ollivander needed to be rescued too, and I couldn't leave him, so I decided I'd better stay."

"Oh." It made a certain kind of sense. "Well, I'm glad you're safe. Thank you for the sand dollar."

At that point, Hermione could stand it no longer and she pulled him into a hug, crying, "Congratulations!"

"Thank you," Remus said, patting her back. Ron hovered nearby and they shook hands once Hermione broke away, and that was the beginning of the farewells. Remus could feel himself being pulled back home again, and he still had one or two stops left to make. Next was the Burrow.

Since they had known to expect him, Arthur let Remus inside with little trouble. He had barely even crossed the threshold when Ginny ran into him at what must have been a full sprint, if not a launch from a cannon, and hit him with a hug that nearly knocked him off his feet.

"Congratulations!" she squeaked after releasing him, jumping a little in excitement. "Do you have pictures? Can I see them? It's a boy, right? Tonks said it would be. What's his name? When can I see him?"

"Give him a second to answer," Arthur said lightheartedly, shaking Remus's hand.

"His name is Teddy…er, Ted. I don't have any pictures yet." That earned him a swat on the arm. "But you can come see him any time, maybe just give us a day or two to get our footing."

"Perfectly reasonable," Arthur said, less to Remus than to Ginny, who looked as though she might be developing a plan that involved forcing him to give up the location of the Tonks house and then not letting go of him until he took her back side-along. "Have you and Tonks chosen godparents for him yet?"

Remus clapped a hand to his forehead. "I was supposed to ask Molly!"

"She'll be delighted," Arthur replied, looking honored on his wife's behalf.

"And Harry already agreed."

"You've seen Harry!" Ginny exclaimed. "How is he?"

"Just came from Shell Cottage," Remus said. "He seemed…Well, you have to understand I was somewhat distracted…But he seemed all right, alive."

Ginny did not look very satisfied with that assessment. "And Hermione?"

"She was there too." After a moment Remus noticed the lack of a specific follow-up question. "So was Ron."

"That prat's the reason I can't go back to school."

"Ginny, we've been over this," Arthur said. "It's amazing he managed to stay undetected for so long."

"He's still a prat. And now Neville's all alone at Hogwarts."

"He's hardly alone," said Remus, who knew a little about the network of rebel students they had managed to build.

"And I'm useless here."

"You're not alone eith-" Remus began.

"Ginny, you can't join Harry, Ron, and Hermione," Arthur cut in. This must be a continuation of a conversation they'd already had. "You're not seventeen."

"First years are practically of-age after what we've been through at school this year, and I'm tired of hearing about the Trace! There must be a way to break it early!"

"You can't go because if they wanted you along Harry, Ron, and Hermione would have sent for you," Arthur said, which sounded to Remus like an unbelievably cruel way to phrase it. "And even if they did, your mother and I wouldn't let you go."

Remus disagreed with Arthur on one point: in all likelihood, Harry, Ron, and Hermione had simply not thought to ask Ginny to come along. They had found a system that worked and might not want to change it by pulling Ron's sister and Harry's ex-girlfriend, or on-hiatus girlfriend, whichever applied, into the mix.

"Ginny, I think you should come back with me," he said.

"Don't try and distract me with your baby," she replied, wiping at her eyes with irritation.

"I'm not. You should talk to Tonks. She's had to sit out the war for months and found a way to make her peace with it." Arthur caught Remus's meaning and gave him a grimacing smile of encouragement.

"She had a good reason."

"She didn't always think so. You should have heard some of the fights she had with her mother."

"Sounds familiar," Ginny grumbled.

"Go with him, Ginny," Arthur encouraged. "It's not that we don't want your help, we just don't want what happened to Luna to happen to you, and neither do Harry or Neville, I'm sure. So talk it over with Tonks, see what the two of you can think up."

"And you'll get to see Teddy," Remus added.

Much as Ginny tried to hide it, Remus knew what cinched the matter for her. She nodded, grabbed her coat off the hook, and they set out. They didn't make it far, however, only to the point of grasping hands on the top step.

"I'm not secret keeper," Remus realized. "Give me a moment."

It actually took him more like five minutes, what with needing to take Teddy back so Andromeda could write down their address for Ginny, then having serious trouble convincing himself to hand him over again, not to mention having to fend off Molly's opinions about Ginny's renewed desire to join the fight.

"I was starting to think you forgot," Ginny said when he returned.

"You'll see what happened in a second," Remus replied, handing her the paper to memorize. "I couldn't help telling your Mum why you're coming, by the way."

"Thanks for the warning," Ginny replied, handing back the paper. Remus set it alight, waited to make sure it was completely destroyed, and then they were on their way.

Molly was waiting at the door and let them inside at once, with the admonishment, "Don't you go and disturb Tonks, Ginerva. She just had a baby, remember."

"I remember, Mum," Ginny grumbled. At any rate, she did not seem inclined to disturb Tonks for the moment, since, despite her previous statement, she did find Teddy completely distracting. While she fawned over the infant, Remus ducked upstairs to check on Tonks.

She was just as he had left her, sleeping soundly. He left a note on her nightstand next to her wand explaining that the rest of them were downstairs with Teddy, she should send a Patronus when she woke up, and that Ginny wanted to talk to her when she was feeling up to it. Then he remembered the sand dollar and put it under the note with a postscript about where it had come from.

Within an hour, Molly happened to glance at the stairs and exclaimed, "Tonks!" Remembering herself, she dropped her voice to a whisper and continued, "You shouldn't be walking around yet!"

"Get back in bed!" Andromeda scolded at the same volume, and she darted up the stairs to make sure her orders were carried out. Fortunately, Ginny was holding Teddy at the time.

"I feel okay," Tonks protested. "Wait, can someone bring up Teddy?"

"Let's see if she has any ideas for you," Remus suggested, carefully taking Teddy and gesturing for Ginny to follow him. Fortunately, he did not find ascending the stairs while holding the baby nearly as treacherous as descending.

They entered just as Andromeda was leaving and caught Tonks with an unflattering scowl on her face.

"She called me 'young lady,'" Tonks muttered once Ginny shut the door. "If we're not past that by now then I don't know what will do it." But she brightened up when Remus transferred Teddy over to her.

"Why do parents always think they know what's best for everybody?" Ginny agreed.

"Is that what you wanted to talk about?" Tonks asked, and Remus abruptly realized something that might not have occurred to Ginny: her audience might well have recently had a perspective shifting experience when it came to the subject of the relationships between parents and children. There was every possibility that this would not turn out how any of them expected.

"I can't go back to school now that the Death Eaters know Ron's been working with Harry, so I don't see why I shouldn't offer to join those three with whatever they're doing. We even know where they are, for once," Ginny explained. "Only my parents won't let me. Mum even threatened to take my wand."

"I don't think she would actually do that, who knows when you might need to defend yourself," Tonks said, but Remus was not so sure. He had seen that exchange. The fact that Molly had been whispering while she made the threat had only made it more menacing.

"The point is that Ginny and her parents' are at an impasse, and we were hoping you might be able to share some of the ways you found to still help even when you couldn't fight," Remus explained.

"Couldn't?" Tonks asked with a dark look.

"Shouldn't," Remus amended. He really had to watch that.

"But Ginny, you were there when that started," Tonks said. "We were standing in your bedroom and you asked me to help you and the other rebel students at Hogwarts with your strategies. Before that, I thought I was going to crawl out of my skin before the end of this."

"Neville doesn't really need that kind of help anymore, plus he already has you, and so does the Order," Ginny said. "All I'm good at is fighting."

"That's far from true," Tonks replied. "But anyway, right now it's not always about what you're good at. It's about what other people need and what you can do. I'm not a great strategist, I got Luna captured on the first mission I commanded, after all, but I have more experience than you students did, so that's how I helped. What are some things the Order needs right now?"

"To win," Ginny responded immediately. "You-Know-Who gone."

"Sure," Tonks said. "But how about things that are a little smaller scale? Like…food is hard to come by."

"Nobody wants me to do their cooking for them, including me."

"That's fair. What about helping Fred and George? They're always trying to invent new things to help."

"You clearly don't have an older brother; they would just use me as a test subject. You two should keep that in mind, by the way."

"Messages," Remus realized. "Even with Patronuses, since everyone's had to go underground it's difficult to get the word out about anything, and you never know if your message got through. But if someone at the center could keep track…"

"You want me to be a fellytone operator?" Ginny demanded crossly.

"Telephone," Tonks corrected. "But I'm impressed you know about operators. Remus has a point. Think about it: when the Order does have to assemble, you would be the one to make sure that the word gets out, that everyone knows where to go and when to get there."

"And not go myself."

"Another way to put it is that you would be in the second wave."

"And in the meantime I'm stuck relaying Fred and George's jokes."

"Or not relaying them, if you decide," Tonks said, "as long as you actually send the important stuff. And you would get to see all the communications. You'd be in the middle of everything, if you think about it."

"That doesn't sound so bad," Ginny admitted. "How would we make it work? The coins work well enough, but it's always a problem that different people's messages could erase each other. Maybe parchment? And the old messages are never erased?"

"We would have to rethink the part about them heating up when they get a message," Tonks pointed out. "What's going on, Teddy?" He was starting to fuss.

"What if they made a noise?" Ginny suggested, but Tonks was distracted and Remus was not far behind. "And the ink on my copy could change color when the recipient read it."

It wasn't his diaper, he'd just had a nap, being passed from person to person didn't seem to trouble him…

"Do you think he's hungry?" Tonks asked.

"That's my cue to leave," Ginny said immediately. "Thanks for the advice Tonks, Professor."

And she left the room.

* * *

"Bill!"

"Remus!"

"Tonks!"

"Fleur!"

"Eez zis Teddy!"

Fleur did not wait for a response, just maneuvered Tonks inside and started the delicate process of transferring the three week old infant from one set of arms to another. Within minutes Fleur was rocking Teddy happily and singing him a French lullaby. Tonks took a seat alongside and seemed to be trying to memorize the tune. She had recently expressed a desire to learn any trick at all that would quiet Teddy once he got going.

"Where's Harry?" Remus asked Bill.

"Hmm?" Bill was watching Fleur with Teddy and appeared to be thinking some thoughts. Remus decided to leave him to them with just a clap on the shoulder. Bill rocked on his feet but did not otherwise seem to feel it.

"Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Griphook left early this morning," Dean said. Remus had not initially spotted him in the corner, book in hand.

Dean's words soaked in slowly and filled Remus's insides with ice.

"Did they say when they were coming back?"

"No," Dean replied, and Remus knew from his expression that Dean did not think they intended to come back.

"We missed them again?" Tonks asked.

Remus nodded. "Do you know where they went?"

Dean fiddled with the pages of his book. "They wouldn't tell anyone, wouldn't accept anyone's offer to help, and they left before anyone else was awake."

"They seem to think they need to do everything alone." Remus sighed. That strategy had somehow seen them this far, but he could only hope they would realize that they could not fight every Death Eater alone and ask for help before dooming themselves.

"One day, those three are going to have to tell everyone what they've been up to this year," Tonks said philosophically. "And it had better be a really good story."

"I get the feeling it will be," Dean said.

"Goodness! A baby!"

Remus spun. Luna had appeared next to him, her arms filled with sea shells.

Tonks spotted her as well and shot to her feet. "Luna Lovegood?"

Luna nodded. "Professor Lupin, does your baby have mipsy? The sand dollar should have warded against it, but maybe it wasn't big enough."

Tonks hesitated, no doubt wondering what mipsy was.

"Er, I don't think so," Remus replied. "Why do you ask?"

"His hair is blue," Luna said. "That's the first symptom."

"Oh, no, he did that on purpose, at least as much as he does anything on purpose," Remus explained. "Give him an hour and it will probably be a different color. He's a metamorphmagus."

"Really?" Luna exclaimed. "Lendy Wilkins will be so surprised. He wrote an article for _The Quibbler_ that was supposed to prove metamorphmagi can't exist."

"Did he?" Dean said.

"I didn't believe him, of course," Luna continued. "Metamorphmagi are too interesting not to exist."

Tonks showed her appreciation by giving herself red hair and a pig's snout.

"Wow!" Luna said, dropping her shells on the nearest chair and approaching Tonks for a closer inspection. "I'll have to write a letter to Daddy so he can tell Lendy he was wrong."

"This Wilkins fellow never met me," Tonks replied. "Or asked the Ministry, apparently."

"My Dad always says to never trust the Ministry," Luna said, and she had a point. "But you never leave any evidence."

"I'm not a hobgoblin," Tonks said, changing her face and hair back to normal. "There's no evidence to leave."

"What's the strangest thing you've ever tried to impersonate?"

"I once had to pretend to be a different person transforming into a werewolf," Tonks replied. She didn't even have to think about it. "And a lot of people found me very convincing."

Remus couldn't help but shuffle his feet a little. He remembered the episode well, or, at least, the beginning and end of it, since he had been transformed himself for the middle section.

To demonstrate, Tonks shook out her right hand, then paused to think for a moment and turned it into a wolf paw.

"Luna, I've been hoping to meet you for months. My name is Nymphadora Tonks. I'm one of Ginny's friends. I was the person on the other side of the coins when you were captured."

"Pleased to meet you," Luna said, shaking Tonks's paw. Tonks clearly found that an odd experience, but if Luna thought there was anything unusual about it she didn't comment. "I'm glad metamorphmagi exist."

"It's good to meet you too," Tonks said, turning her hand back to normal. "Luna, I wanted to apologize for how you were captured. I misread the situation and you paid the price."

"Don't worry, they were nice to me," Luna replied.

"The Death Eaters were nice to you?" Tonks could not seem to make sense of that, but Remus thought he understood. Luna had a way of disarming people, harming her would be like harming a fawn; it would take a person of the rarest cruelty.

"They left Mr. Ollivander and me in the dark for a long time, but they brought us food every day, and they mostly seemed interested in Mr. Ollivander."

"There's something I have to know, though," Tonks said. "Once we figured out where you were, why didn't you want us to try and rescue you?"

Remus had already told Tonks what Luna had to say on this matter, but it seemed she had to hear it directly.

"Because you wouldn't have known to also rescue Mr. Ollivander," Luna replied. "Besides, Malfoy Manor is too dangerous to get into and out of. You need to be a Death Eater to open the gates, and Dobby died getting us out. Besides, I'm rescued now, so everything turned out fine."

Not yet, it hasn't, Remus thought.

"I'm glad you're all right, Luna," Tonks said, giving her a hug.

"Can I hold your baby?" Luna asked.

"Of course. Er, assuming Fleur agrees to give him up."

As it turned out, Fleur took some convincing, but she agreed to let Luna hold Teddy in the end and more or less floated over to the kitchen to get started preparing breakfast for everyone. Bill finally shook himself out of his trance.

"Remus, would you mind helping me set the table?" he asked.

Remus followed him to the cupboard, where Bill hesitated.

"Every day there's a different number of people," he muttered to himself before extracting six plates, handing them to Remus, and going back for cutlery. "What's it like?"

If Remus had not already been expecting such a question he wouldn't have been able to follow the change in subject. "Nothing like what I was expecting, in a good way. Are you and Fleur thinking about children?"

"The topic's come up," Bill said, leading the way to the table. "Not that this is a good time, obviously…er…Merlin."

"It's fine," Remus assured him. "It's no secret that Teddy was a surprise."

"All right, well…if the war somehow ends this week that would probably cinch it," Bill said, following Remus around the table and laying the silverware next to the plates. "But what if we're still under siege two years from now? Or ten? We can't wait forever, but how long is enough?"

"All I know is what I saw during the first war," Remus said, laying the last plate. "Some people felt like they had to delay their lives, some rushed ahead. And it's hard to say how things would have gone if there had been no war, but some people tried to act as normally as possible. Your parents may be good examples of that last case, Fred and George must have been born just when things were starting to get bad, Ron during some of the worst fighting, and Ginny not long after You-Know-Who disappeared. That seems to have worked out."

"It easily could not have. I remember those times, Mum and Dad seemed so scared all the time."

"You don't look scared to me," Remus pointed out. "Neither does Fleur. All you can do is decide what works best for you, but I can tell you that if you do go ahead, the entire Order will step up to help you, the same as they did for Tonks and me."

"Ach! No cups! What 'ave you been doing?"

Fleur had appeared at the kitchen door with a plate of eggs and a tea kettle. Bill jumped and made for the cupboard with Remus following.

"One more thing," Bill said as they counted out the mugs. "The lycanthropy question…"

Remus had learned not to register the angry scars that crossed Bill's face, but he saw them now. The concerned tilt of his eyebrows pulled at the scar on his forehead unevenly. "The next full moon is next week. There's no way to know until then."

It hurt even to wonder. Remus and Tonks had only tried twice to have a conversation about what they would do if Teddy was a werewolf, or even what they would have to do during this next full moon to find out. Both times it had devolved into silence, followed by Tonks saying they would figure it out if they needed to, and Remus holding Teddy tightly while trying not to tear up. The poor child had no idea what might be coming for him. Tonks would have to lock him inside a box and Remus would not be able to be there with her.

Bill seemed to sense where Remus's mind had gone and took back the mugs he had passed over. Remus looked over at Teddy, just to reassure himself that things were still all right for now, and saw something astounding.

Luna, it transpired, was a natural with children, something Remus found much less surprising on reflection. She had settled Teddy on her thighs and was waving her hands around his field of vision while he giggled at her. But the strange part was that whenever she moved her hands to the left his hair turned blue; to the right, red; up, green; down, yellow. And sometimes she would tickle his stomach and get purple. Remus caught Tonks's eye, wondering if she was seeing the same thing as him. By her flummoxed expression, she was.

"He's better at that than I am," Tonks mouthed to Remus.

"He has less hair," Remus mouthed back.

Tonks seemed to like that explanation.

Remus was startled by a series of clicks beside him, but it was just Bill and a camera.

"I'll develop that for you before you go," he said. Remus hoped he had managed to get Tonks in the frame.

"Breakfast, everyone," Fleur announced, remembering herself.

Tonks took Teddy back from Luna and they all sat down around the table. The eggs were simple but a welcome break from the rice and beets that had sustained the Tonks house for the past few months. Bill and Fleur looked less enthusiastic, but Dean and Luna still seemed grateful for any food at all.

"How did you figure out how to do that, Luna?" Remus asked, because someone had to.

"I don't know," Luna replied. "I just started moving my hands around and he seemed to like it."

"Do you ever babysit?" Tonks asked.

"I haven't before."

"Something on your mind, Dean?" Remus asked. When they first sat down Dean had looked like he wanted to say something, but at Tonks's question he had wilted a bit.

"It's nothing."

It wasn't nothing.

"I managed to get word to your family that you were safe, and not living in forests anymore," Remus said, grateful that he had remembered after the chaos of Teddy's birth. "They were relieved. I left out the part about you being captured first."

"Thanks."

That didn't take the weight off his shoulders. Remus thought a bit more.

"Did you manage to find Dirk Cresswell's family?"

Dean nodded. "It was rough, but they were grateful."

"That's good." But there was still something on his mind. "I'll be you've got plenty of experience babysitting all your younger sisters."

"Some." That was closer to it, though. Dean sat up a little straighter. Then Remus remembered that they had offered to let Dean stay at the Tonks house, and since he had parted ways with Griphook one of his main reasons for leaving no longer applied. Furthermore, now that he had no wand he could hardly go back on the road.

"We should talk some more after breakfast," Remus told him, trying to convey that he wanted to renew his invitation but could not do so in front of Luna, who would probably want to come as well, given her rapport with Teddy, and they really were short on space.

Dean nodded gratefully.

"Any news from the outside?" Bill asked.

"Not much," Tonks replied. "Neville finally had to go to ground for good. He held out much longer than he probably should have."

"Speaking of people with stories," Bill agreed.

"Oh, Neville wouldn't want to brag," Luna contradicted knowledgably.

"It wouldn't be bragging," Tonks said. "There must be something that would convince him to talk about what's happened at Hogwarts at this year."

"This is Neville Longbottom we're talking about," Remus said. "I really don't think there's a single way we could get him to tell us something if he doesn't want to."

Tonks thought about it for a moment. "You're right. I don't know what I was thinking. Luna, would you like to do some of Neville's bragging for him? I imagine we can get Ginny to help as well."

"Does enyone 'ear a sound?" Fleur asked.

They all fell silent for a few seconds. There was a ding from one of the end tables.

"It's one of Ginny's messages," Bill deduced, and jogged over. "She says the dragon escaped from Gringotts. Dedalus saw it from Diagon Alley."

"There really _was_ a dragon in Gringotts?" Tonks asked.

"Goblins don't exaggerate about the methods they use to protect their gold," Dean replied.

"Though they occasionally leave things out," Bill finished.

"You don't think that has anything to do with Harry, Ron, and Hermione, do you?" Luna asked. "Only, I don't know why they would need Griphook if they weren't going to Gringotts."

"Bill, you should tell her that Harry might have been involved," Tonks said. "Everyone should be prepared."

"Prepared for what?" Bill asked.

"I don't know, but those three have stayed hidden for months, and now they might be breaking dragons out of Gringotts," Tonks said. "Actually, they almost definitely broke a dragon out of Gringotts. Who else would do something like that? At best they're ready to take their fight into the open, at worst the Death Eaters will have a window where they can find them. Either way, they might need the Order before too long."

* * *

Author's note: In case you were wondering, the werewolf impersonation escapade that Tonks mentions takes place in one of my earlier fics, "World's Smallest Violin." Thanks for reading.


	21. May 1st, 1998, 1:52 pm

**Chapter 21: May 1** **st** **, 1998, 1:52 pm**

"Did you hear? Did you see?"

Andromeda only realized after she had let Nymphadora, Remus, and Teddy inside that she had forgotten to verify their identities first. And a moment after that she remembered that she didn't have to anymore, because of the Fidelius charm.

"We saw," Nymphadora replied. She was holding Teddy awfully tightly.

"Harry, Ron, and Hermione might have broken a dragon out of Gringotts," Remus added.

"No, about the Death Eaters."

"What about them?" Nymphadora asked.

Remus just lunged for the parchment that connected them to Ginny. "They're massing at Malfoy Manor. Wait, this is an outgoing message, how did you find out?"

"Kreacher went to check," Andromeda replied. "He volunteered, I didn't even suggest it," she added at their incredulous looks.

"Where is he now?" Nymphadora asked, looking around. "We need to find out more about what he saw."

"He reported back and then left again immediately," Andromeda said. "That was only a few minutes ago."

"I never told Harry that we rescued Kreacher!" Remus exclaimed, clapping a hand to his forehead.

"You were distracted," Nymphadora pointed out.

"But if I'd gotten Harry to countermand his order for Kreacher not to look for him then we could find out where he is and what he needs from us."

"It doesn't matter anymore," Nymphadora said. "We need to organize what we do know and take it from there."

Kreacher appeared on the rug between them with a sudden popping sound. He was shaking visibly. Andromeda immediately dropped to her knees at his side and put a hand on his shoulder.

"Kreacher! Are you all right?"

"Kreacher saw…Kreacher saw…He was there."

"You-Know-Who?"

Kreacher could only nod.

"What'd they do?" Nymphadora wondered.

Something made a 'ding' sound. After a moment Remus started and looked at the parchment in his hands.

"Kingsley said he's been asked to mobilize the Aurors."

"Did he or Ginny say what side the Ministry expects us to be on?" Nymphadora asked.

"No, but I can guess."

"Me too. Kingsley's mostly managed to keep them out of the fight so far, but…" Nymphadora was pacing now. "No Auror's ever taken orders blindly – well, maybe one has – but on the whole…"

"What's on your mind, Tonks?"

"I've been away so long! I haven't even been to the office since before all this started! I don't know what side everyone will pick!"

"Kingsley's in charge," Remus said. "Do you really think he'll send out someone he thinks would oppose the Order?"

"He may not have a choice! Aurors work for the Ministry and the Ministry works for Voldemo-"

It had been so long since one of them slipped up that they were all a little slow on the draw. It was unclear if Nymphadora managed to stop herself, or if she heard Andromeda's poorly articulated warning, or if Remus's hand over her mouth was enough, or if she completed the word after all.

"Andromeda, take Teddy please," Remus said.

Andromeda hurried to comply, and Nymphadora and Remus drew their wands. Nymphadora was muttering, "Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit," under her breath like it was a jinx.

"I think the wards are still up," Remus said, waving his wand slowly.

"Shit, shit, shit, I'm sorry, I don't know what I was thinking, shit, shit, shit, shit."

"What about the Fidelius charm?" Andromeda whispered. "Even if we broke the Taboo, how would they find us?"

Remus shrugged. "Kreacher, would you mind checking to see if anyone is outside?"

Kreacher nodded and disappeared with a pop. He reappeared several long moments later.

"Kreacher saw no one."

Andromeda drew a full breath for the first time since hearing those forbidden syllables.

"Thank you," Remus said. "It would help if you check again in a few minutes."

"Kreacher will."

"I'm so sorry," Nymphadora repeated.

"It's fine," Remus said, touching her arm. "But tell me what you think about the wards."

Nymphadora pointed her wand at each of the four corners of the house in turn. "They seem fine," she decided. "Maybe you stopped me before I said it?"

"Or maybe the Fidelius charm protected us, or the Death Eaters are too busy to deal with us right now," Remus said. "The important thing is that we're still safe here."

"Oh, that was so stupid," Nymphadora said, rubbing her face.

"I have an idea that might help you sort out the Aurors," Andromeda said abruptly.

Nymphadora and Remus both looked at her like they could hardly believe she was bringing that back up again, but the notion had come to her while she was mentally preparing herself to defend her grandson against all-comers, and she thought that if she didn't speak it soon her courage would fail her.

"I need to impersonate Bellatrix again."

"And do what?" Nymphadora asked.

"Walk into the Auror department."

"That…um…" Nymphadora struggled a minute for the words. "While that might be effective…suppose most of them are loyal to our side? They might not be in a prisoner-taking mood…"

"If they are loyal to our side then they've successfully hid it for the better part of a year," Andromeda pointed out. "They can't have done that by attacking any Death Eater that sets foot on their floor."

"Fair, but you'd be taking an awful risk."

"I can't believe I'm saying this," Andromeda said, "but that's why I'd need you to come with me."

"Wait, I'll go instead," Remus interjected immediately.

"They're looking for you, remember?" Nymphadora said.

"They're looking for you too."

"I can disguise myself."

"Teddy needs you."

"He needs you too," Nymphadora said, unmoved. "Look, the longer we stand around arguing the more likely the Aurors will have already deployed to wherever they're going. Unless you'd rather face off against a fully trained Auror during whatever fight we're heading toward…"

"Well, no…"

"Great. Mum, get changed. Remus, relay our plan to Kingsley."

"Kreacher saw a Snatcher wandering around the street."

Andromeda had almost forgotten about that.

"That's all right," Nymphadora decided. "I could use a warm up round."

Andromeda handed Teddy off to Remus and ran upstairs to change into her replica of Bellatrix's robes and fix her hair and makeup. She even remembered to give herself the Dark Mark tattoo this time. She shook out her neck and tried Bellatrix's face in the mirror. Sometimes it worried her how easily she could impersonate her sister now.

By the time Andromeda got back downstairs, Nymphadora had altered her appearance to look like a nondescript witch with only an identifying lock of red hair and she and Remus were in a bit of an argument.

"You don't have to do this. At least wait until we hear back from Kingsley."

"He's probably busy. By the time he has the chance to respond it might be too late."

"Dora, you're about to walk right into the Ministry. Why are you really doing this?"

"Those are my friends, Remus! I've gone into battle with all of them, trusted them with my life, and they've trusted me with theirs. And I abandoned them this year!"

"Look at your reason!" Remus exclaimed, lifting Teddy slightly.

Nymphadora brushed a hand over Teddy's head. "I don't want to fight with you, but we can't have another Snape, this is too important. I'm an Auror, this is my responsibility."

Remus closed his eyes for a long moment. "Okay, but please come back."

"I will," Nymphadora said, and kissed him. Then she turned to face Andromeda. "Nice work on your hair, Mum. Are you ready?"

Andromeda swallowed with difficulty and nodded.

"What was that?" Nymphadora asked harshly.

"What are we waiting for, underling?"

"Better. Let's Apparate to the corner and take care of that Snatcher first."

Andromeda chanced a glance at Remus. He still looked troubled and for a moment she wondered if she ought to call a halt to this. But Nymphadora could easily impersonate Bellatrix herself now if she chose, and she probably would, in that case. Better that she did not go in alone. Andromeda followed her daughter outside, and they Apparated together to the nearest street corner.

The patrolling Snatcher was two houses down and spotted them immediately.

"Madam Lestrange!" he exclaimed. "I wasn't-"

Nymphadora stunned and bound him in two neat waves of her wand. Two more hid the unconscious Snatcher in the neighbor's bushes and sent his wand sailing off in the opposite direction.

"Merlin that felt good," she said. "To the Ministry Special Entrance?"

"Don't you think it would be better to see if Arthur has any spare tokens?" Andromeda asked.

"Only if you want to get spotted as an imposter immediately," Nymphadora replied. "Can you really imagine Bellatrix flushing herself down a toilet?"

"No?"

"Me either, so make sure to put on your scary face for the security guards."

"This is my scary face. You wouldn't believe how much lipstick I have on right now."

"Scary attitude, then. Ready?"

"What do you think Ted would say if he could see us?"

"Hey, put that away for now," Nymphadora said. "It won't help you in there."

Andromeda knew she was right, so she tried, she really did, and nodded to Nymphadora, who pulled them both to the Special Entrance.

The security wizard at the desk stood officiously when he saw them. Three of his colleagues stepped in front of the elaborate doors, wands at the ready.

"This area is restri- Madam Lestrange. We didn't know to expect you."

"I can't be bothered to announce my comings and goings to every worthless peon they stand in front of a door," Andromeda replied. "So step aside."

The security wizard took the insult with dignity.

"Of course. If you would please just present your wand for verification I will have you on your way momentarily."

"I will not."

"It's standard procedure, Madam."

"I am here to inspect the Auror forces on the Dark Lord's personal orders. Would you like to explain to him why I was delayed?"

The security wizard hesitated, a bead of sweat tracing its way down his temple. Hating that she had to do it, Andromeda stared him down with all the menace she could muster, but he did not budge until her hand twitched toward her left sleeve.

"Of course not!" he exclaimed, waving the other three guards aside. "Shall I relay to the Auror office that you are coming?"

"You shall do no such thing!"

"Of course not! Of course not! Enjoy your visit, Madam Lestrange."

"I very much doubt that I will," Andromeda replied and swept off through the doors with Nymphadora trailing along in her wake.

"You've got this figured out," Nymphadora whispered as they made their way down the grand hallway.

"I hope he doesn't get in trouble," Andromeda said.

Nymphadora fell silent. That could have meant that she was either trying to prepare herself for whatever they were about to face, or that she thought the security guard would be punished for what had just happened.

"The Auror office is on the fifth floor," she said eventually. "It'll work best if we can get them individually or in small groups and surprise them. Their first reaction to you will be our best indicator. If they stop to think, act indifferent, or react violently they're probably on our side. Anyone who looks friendly toward you is worth keeping an eye on. We should contain them until we can get some opinions from the others."

"When you say 'react violently'…"

"Don't worry, I know the same tricks they do."

They reached the grand entrance hall at last and Nymphadora stifled a groan. Andromeda immediately turned her back on the scene.

"Is Bellatrix there?" she whispered.

"No, but the Aurors are, all of them, and half the Ministry, it looks like."

Reluctantly, Andromeda turned around to look. Apparently, the Ministry was giving the Aurors a hero's sendoff.

"There are more than twice as many Aurors as there were the last time I was here," Nymphadora said.

"You can't fight that many by yourself."

"I won't have to. Anyone who's loyal will join in-"

"Unless they've been Imperiused."

"These are Aurors, they could shake off Imperius in their sleep. Mad-Eye claimed he actually did, twice. The real trouble is all these other people."

The scratching sound of a microphone powering on filled the room, followed by the high pitched sound of someone clearing her throat.

"Ladies and gentlemen! Thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedules today to give our brave Aurors the send off they deserve."

"I've got an idea," Nymphadora whispered.

"As you know," Umbridge continued, "we have been besieged for months by the forces of anarchy and disorder, culminating only this morning in the wholesale destruction of Gringotts bank, one of the country's oldest wizarding establishments."

"Take the stage from her," Nymphadora said. "Get everyone else to clear out, and keep the Auror's attention on you. And step on Umbridge's foot for me, if you can manage it."

"Gladly."

"But our enemy's brazen actions have given us a window of opportunity to strike back, and strike we will! We have assembled the Aurors, and will- Madam Lestrange!"

"Quit your croaking, little woman," Andromeda snarled, ascending the steps to the makeshift stage where Umbridge stood. "Your words are empty." And, making good on her promise, she stepped on Umbridge's foot while shoving her away from the microphone.

Andromeda lost a moment trying to adjust the microphone stand to suit her height, but in the end could not find a way, so she just spoke louder. In any case the microphone hardly seemed necessary anymore; the entire hall had fallen silent.

"What are you all staring at?" Andromeda shouted. "Don't you have work to do? Yes, you too, Runcorn. Not you, Aurors, I have words for you."

The audience began to rapidly slink away, no one wanting to be last. Turning to the Aurors, Andromeda immediately spotted Nymphadora sneaking around the back of the group. Finding her was easy, because she had retaken her normal face and hair. Andromeda nearly lost the thread in her surprise.

"Aurors! I want you to think…" Andromeda shouted, wishing she knew how this sentence was going to end, "…about what you are doing! What are you doing?"

That question was mostly for Nymphadora, but if she heard it that way she did not give any sign. She was still working her way among the crowd of Aurors, getting the attention of those she recognized. Kingsley was at the front, Nymphadora had not reached him yet, and by his expression Andromeda had to wonder if he had gotten their message about this operation at all. He seemed awfully confused about what Andromeda was saying.

"You are dark wizard catchers, are you not? Collectively responsible for bringing to justice countless rabble-rousers…"

Apparently, Nymphadora was listening. She shot Andromeda an incredulous look. Andromeda could only hope her daughter would take it as a request that she hurry up.

"Yet today you are deploying to capture or kill a seventeen year old boy? All of you? How much trouble could he really be? How much of a dark wizard can he be if all he's ever done is tell the truth?"

That was the polarizer they needed. The Aurors Nymphadora had already tagged marked their targets. To Andromeda, they were the ones who looked confused.

"Oh, don't look so surprised, it's just us here, and we all know the situation," Andromeda continued. Nymphadora had finally reached Kingsley. "You-Know-Who is back and Bellatrix Lestrange works for him. So why aren't you arresting me?"

The Auror force erupted in a brief but furious civil war. Andromeda finally abandoned her charade entirely and hit the deck, and when she looked up again she saw that the advantage had gone to the forewarned. The traitor Aurors were stripped of their wands and knocked unconscious, tied up, or, in one case, nursing a gushing bloody nose. No one seemed to quite know what to do with Dawlish, but Kingsley had him by the collar. The friendly Aurors who were not guarding the traitors had gathered around Nymphadora, their exuberant voices carrying up to the stage.

"Tonks! Where in the hell have you been!"

"Yeah, we could've used your disguise trick a few times, y'know."

"Sorry about that, I had a baby."

"A baby? Merlin, you can't turn your back for five minutes around some people."

"So you finally wore down your Moony fellow after all, eh?"

"Did you try my suggestion?"

"The Confundus charm? Thanks but no, just good old fashioned perseverance, and some battlefield camaraderie."

"Well, good for you, but you've deprived us all of the chance to threaten him with bodily harm if he does you wrong."

"That's not necessary."

"Oh, but it is, and now I must insist that you invite us all to dinner."

"You might want to rethink that, Wells. You've never tried her cooking."

"I've faced Death Eaters, do you really think an overcooked pot roast will scare me?"

"It should."

"Hey!"

"Er, pardon me…" Everyone, even the traitor with the bloody nose, turned to face a red haired man who had just emerged from behind a corner. He pointed at Andromeda. "What are we going to do about her?"

"Nothing! That's my Mum!" Nymphadora exclaimed when several Aurors turned in Andromeda's direction.

"Bellatrix Lestrange is your mother?" Dawlish demanded. Kingsley gave him a little shake.

"Bellatrix Lestrange is my aunt," Nymphadora corrected. "That's Andromeda Tonks. You should tone down the disguise before someone gets curse happy, Mum."

Andromeda nodded and started setting her hair back to normal.

"The question is," Kingsley said, "what are we going to do with you, Percy Weasley. Or should I call you Wetherbee?"

Andromeda looked again and only then recognized the third oldest Weasley child.

"Weasley," Percy said to his shoes.

"Well, Weasley, your father asked me to keep an eye on you," Kingsley said. "Would you like to know what I saw?"

Percy looked like he thought he wouldn't.

"You follow whoever you think can give you more power and influence, like a hungry puppy. They're usually only interested in using you to help themselves, and you let them. It's sad to watch."

Percy nodded but did not reply.

"You have a much stronger stomach for Dolores Umbridge than anyone else I'm willing to speak to civilly," Kingsley continued. "On the other hand, for all your power mongering, you've never gone so far as to associate with an actual Death Eater or Thicknesse. In fact, you've resisted more than the usual number of attempts at recruitment, because of your family connections. So as far as I'm concerned, what we're going to do with you depends on what you're doing here, now."

"I recognized Tonks, and I know she's close with my family," Percy explained. "I haven't seen Dad or Bill in weeks and I was hoping she could tell me if they're all right. I…I can't remember the address of the Burrow." He looked despondent.

"They're fine," Nymphadora assured him. "I just saw Bill this morning. They've had to go into hiding, is all."

"And everyone else?"

"All fine, just hiding, going a little stir-crazy. Except…Ron is with Harry and Hermione. No one quite knows where they are."

Andromeda could see Kingsley watching very carefully to see what Percy thought of that.

"That's…good? That's good. That's…Harry needs all the help he can get."

"Well, Percy, you seem to have pulled your head out of your arse," Kingsley decided. "I'm willing to consider you on probation."

"I'd understand if you didn't."

"Of course, I'm not the one you have to convince, in the end."

Percy nodded. "I know, but for now if I don't get back to the office soon they'll start to suspect."

"Go on then," Kingsley said.

"So, about Gringotts," Nymphadora said when Percy had gone, turning to Kingsley and the rest of the loyal Aurors. "We think that was Harry, he might be ready to take his fight into the open. Where were they sending you?"

"Hogwarts," Kingsley replied. "Apparently there's something there the Chief Death Eater thinks is worth protecting."

When he spoke the words 'Chief Death Eater' a couple Aurors released 'oh's of recognition.

"I'll make sure the Order knows," Nymphadora promised. "How were you supposed to get inside?"

"Break down the wards. Not orders I was intending to follow, but I don't know another way in at the moment," Kingsley replied.

"If we find one I'll pass it along. Keep in touch?"

"Of course," Kingsley said. "All right, Aurors, I think there are some Dementors downstairs that would be fairly interested in these traitors, don't you?"

A cheer went up. Andromeda and Nymphadora shook hands with the Aurors they passed on their way to the fireplaces. By the time they got back home it was already growing dark outside.

When they knocked on the door, Kreacher let them inside, sparing barely a moment to verify their identities before racing back to the sitting room. Concerned, Andromeda and Nymphadora followed him at speed. Remus and Kreacher were hunched over the communication parchment, actually it looked like it was the third one, scribbling furiously, with Teddy lying on a blanket on the floor nearby.

Nymphadora knelt down to pick up Teddy and asked, "What's going on?"

Remus was writing, so Kreacher answered.

"Miss Ginerva relayed Mister Aberforth's message that Hogsmeade is under lockdown. The Order is trying to decide how to proceed."

Andromeda peered over Remus's shoulder to try and decipher some of the discussion so far. The messages were coming in so quickly that Remus had to continually shift down the page to keep adding to his own sentence. Kreacher stood at his elbow and read out the messages as they came in so Remus would not have to. When Andromeda had agreed to teach Kreacher how to read she had not realized how important it would become.

"Mister Fred says there is a secret passage leading from Fortescue's in Hogsmeade to the castle."

Remus shook his head and wrote on furiously, barely even taking the time to ink his quill. Andromeda fetched him a pen and swapped it in the next time he ended a sentence.

"Miss Ginny suggests the vanishing cabinets."

"Remus, when you can, the remaining Aurors are loyal and are under orders to get to Hogwarts," Nymphadora said. "But they don't know how to get inside either. The last resort is breaking down the wards."

"We can't do that," Remus said, writing out another line. Then he paused. "What did you do to the Aurors who aren't loyal?"

"Locked them up with the Dementors."

"I have always and will always love your style." And he returned to writing.

"How is Ginny keeping up with all this?" Andromeda wondered.

"Miss Ginerva could not," Kreacher replied. "Everyone can see everyone else's messages."

"Ah."

"Mum! Take Teddy!"

"What! What's wrong!"

Andromeda lunged for the infant but was already too slow; Nymphadora had managed to shift him enough to slip something out of her pocket. The false Galleon.

She flipped it to tails and read the message.

"Neville says Harry has returned to Hogwarts."

They all paused a minute to absorb that. Death Eaters, Aurors, and the Order were all converging on Hogwarts, and now Harry too.

"How did he get inside?" Remus asked.

"Hang on." Nymphadora tried to reach into her sleeve for her wand.

"No, I have it," Remus said, reading the parchment. "There's a secret passage from the Hog's Head."

"Since when?" Nymphadora demanded, sitting next to Remus on the sofa. "Never mind, tell them Harry's at Hogwarts."

Remus scribbled it out. Watching over his shoulder again, Andromeda saw the messages abruptly stop when everyone else read what he had written, and then changed tenor when they resumed.

"Kingsley and the Aurors are going in," Remus reported. "Bill, Fleur, Molly, Arthur, Fred, George, Charlie, Hestia, Dedalus, Emmaline too, Dean and Luna…"

A little more of the life went out of his voice with every name he read. Eventually he just turned away to look at Nymphadora. She looked back at him, Teddy nestled in her arms.

"I think this might be it," Remus said at last, reaching out to put a hand on her knee.

Nymphadora swallowed. "Are you going?"

"I have to." By inflection it was a question.

"Yes."

"Are you going?" It sounded like it was wrenched out of him.

"I…"

And then Andromeda saw something she had not expected. Her daughter, a born fighter, who once broke the nose of a bully three times her size and reclaimed the lunch money of the victim, a boy twice her size, looked at her son, and hesitated.

"I don't know."

Remus gave a relieved sob and kissed her hair, then her lips, then Teddy's forehead.

"Second wave?"

Nymphadora nodded but looked uneasy with her decision. She caught his hand and said, "Take out some Death Eaters for me. And come back."

"Of course," Remus replied, and wrote his name out on the parchment alongside the others.

He got to his feet, checked his pockets, pulled on his cloak.

"Kreacher, you've been a good friend. Thank you for everything." They shook hands.

Andromeda pulled him into an embrace. "I don't know what would have happened if you hadn't been here," she told him.

"I could say the same about you," Remus replied.

"Stop talking like you're not coming back," Nymphadora said, wiping tears away before pulling Remus into another hug.

"I love you."

"I love you."

"Be brave, Teddy."

And he was gone.


	22. Fight

**Chapter 22: Fight**

Seven paces to cross the sitting room, six and a half if she was agitated, which she was. Tonks had already crossed the space fifteen times. That was ninety seven and a half steps, if half steps counted, ninety if they didn't, ninety six now, a hundred and two. Remus had only left four minutes ago. This was a torture that Tonks knew she could not withstand.

"It's all right, Teddy," Tonks said, trying to quiet the infant by adding a bounce to her walk. But now it took eight steps to cross the sitting room, complicating her calculations.

"He can tell you're nervous," Andromeda observed from the sofa, still wearing Bellatrix's robes, but thankfully not her face and hair. "Try and calm down or give him to me."

Tonks could do neither. Had Remus arrived at the Hog's Head yet? He must have, he was probably even now running down whatever new tunnel Neville and Aberforth had found, racing toward the fight that could well decide the future of England.

"Anything from the parchment?" Tonks asked.

Andromeda leaned over to check, but they both already knew the answer.

"Did Ginny go too? She wasn't supposed to." Not that Tonks agreed with the restrictions Ginny was under, but she couldn't override Molly on the matter.

Andromeda wrote out ' _Ginny?_ '

There was no response, and they gave her several minutes. Ginny had gone back to Hogwarts.

"I'd like to apologize for something," Tonks said without realizing she'd decided to.

Andromeda only waited for her to continue. Perhaps she thought Tonks had a lot to apologize for. Maybe she did, but only one of them was on her mind at the moment.

"I once called you a fool."

"Did you." She didn't sound angry about it.

"In front of Harry and Remus," Tonks confirmed. "It was a while ago, but…It was about my name. You're not a fool, you shouldn't be allowed to name things, but you're not a fool. You've more than proved that you're as good in a pinch as any Auror I've ever known, and even better when you've got some time to consider the situation. Anyway, I'm sorry I said it, sometimes I speak without thinking."

"I don't know, impersonating Bellatrix doesn't seem like a very smart thing to do," Andromeda said, picking at her robes. "But your apology is accepted, of course."

"Thanks," Tonks said, knowing that this apology had been more for her own benefit than her mother's. If she'd never mentioned it Andromeda would probably have never known. "You are good at mimicking Bellatrix, though," Tonks added. "I wonder what she would do if she knew how many Muggles you've saved from gangs while you were pretending to be her."

"Probably something nasty," Andromeda replied.

"That's a given."

"Would you like to know why I named you Nymphadora?"

Tonks hesitated, even her feet paused. It occurred to her that she had never asked how she came by such a cumbersome name, never been told. For all she knew she'd been named after an out of control game of Scrabble. "Sure," she said, before her mother could interpret her silence as a 'no.'

"Well, you might have noticed that we Blacks are rather devoted to our elaborate names, Andromeda, Narcissa, Sirius, Phineas, Walpurga, the list goes on."

"You have to admit you found the Goblin-hold when it comes to your name," Tonks pointed out.

"That's as may be," Andromeda said. "Nymphadora was the middle name of my favorite aunt."

Tonks had to inventory the family tree briefly. "The one who married a Weasley?"

"Exactly. She and Sirius were my only allies when I decided to marry your father, and Sirius was too young to really understand at the time. Sometimes I think he just liked everything his parents didn't on general principle."

"That may be," Tonks said. "Remus once said Sirius refused to eat pudding for a while because it was Regulus's favorite food."

She looked for Kreacher for confirmation, but he was not around.

"So one reason you got your name was to honor my Aunt Cedrella," Andromeda said. "The second has to do with the House of Black in general."

Tonks scowled.

"Like it or not, no matter how much we disagree with their principles, they are part of your history, and mine, and Teddy's. Forgetting that is a disservice to yourself," Andromeda said. "Furthermore, even though they were and are misguided, there are useful qualities to be found in our ancestors, and lessons to learn."

"Like what?" Tonks scoffed.

"Like strength, and unity, and pride. Or that one person can influence the course of history if he or she decides to do so and has the gumption to stick with it. Only we also have to remember to use those abilities for the good of everyone, not just ourselves or those who agree with us."

"And plenty of examples of things not to do," Tonks added.

"Sure," Andromeda admitted. "But the second reason you are named Nymphadora is so that you will not forget that a part of you is a Black."

"Gross."

"I sometimes feel the same. But there's a third reason. I didn't really know that Nymphadora was the right name for you until after you were born, we found out you were a metamorphmagus, and I realized what all that nonsense when I was pregnant had been about. There are two things I knew about you right from the beginning: you can look like anyone but you will always be your own person, and you need something to fight against. So why not your name?"

"I see your reasoning," Tonks replied. "But I hope Dad argued on my behalf."

"Worst fight we ever had," Andromeda confirmed.

"You know, you and I might not have fought so much if you called me Tonks from time to time, or at least Dora."

"Someone had to stoke the fire."

"Well, thanks, I think."

Tonks pursed her lips in thought as she continued pacing. She had long since lost track of the number of steps she had taken, but surely it must number in the thousands by now. At least Teddy had finally settled. Why had her mother only explained about the origins of her name now? There had been plenty of opportunities over the years, to say nothing their confinement together since the coup. Tonks glanced at her mother and found her rubbing her hands together like she had something on her mind, something she felt like she had to say but did not especially want to, and was not sure how to start.

"Something to fight against," Tonks began for her, finally stilling her feet.

Andromeda's face crumpled. Tonks had it right.

"You're saying you know I have to go join this battle, and you understand."

Andromeda nodded, cleared her throat, finally looked up again.

"I'll look after Teddy for you, until you get back," she said.

"I know you will." Tonks tried to fill the sentence with all the gratitude she felt.

"Can I change back into my normal robes first, though?"

"Of course."

Andromeda stood and went upstairs. Decision made, Tonks only had one person left to tell. She bent over Teddy.

"Hey little guy, I've got to go away for a little while. Believe it or not, I have to go make sure the world gets saved, same as your Dad. It's going to be dangerous, so if one or both of us doesn't make it back you have to know it's because we were making the world a safer place for you, and we love you so, so much. Listen to your Grandma. She's a nice person, and she's going to be nice to you, so you should be nice to her, okay?"

Teddy didn't respond, of course. Tonks extracted one of her arms, tried Luna's trick, and managed to get his hair to turn from blue to red to green.

"Nice work. Keep practicing," she whispered to him. "One other thing. I don't need to wait for the moon to tell me that you're not a werewolf, so don't you worry about that. And never let anyone tell you that your Dad was a bad person just because he was a werewolf, because he's the best person I ever met. You're going to be just fine."

Andromeda was standing at the top of the stairs, dressed in her normal robes again. Tonks briefly wondered how long she had been standing there, then decided that it didn't matter. If Tonks and Remus should fall tonight, Andromeda would be the one who had to remind Teddy of these things.

"Do you need to do anything to get ready?" Andromeda asked as she descended the stairs.

Tonks shook her head. She always kept her wand in its wrist holster, an old Auror habit, and she would grab her favorite coat, which fortunately fit again, on the way out. Except she did have to do something, she had to convince herself to hand her son over to her mother, knowing that she herself was walking into terrible danger. No easy task, but she gave Teddy one more kiss on his tiny head and managed it.

"When you find Kreacher, tell him I'm glad we met again."

"I will."

"Thank you, Mum." It seemed so insufficient for what she was trying to say, but it was all she had.

"Don't mention it, Tonks."

She paused at the door. "That sounds strange coming from you."

"I was thinking the same thing."

"We'll work it out. Make sure…make sure Teddy knows to always let his life be an adventure." Turning away from the two of them and closing the door behind her might well have been the hardest thing she ever did.

Tonks had to Apparate to the Hog's Head quickly, before her brain caught on to what the rest of her was doing. Aberforth, when she spotted him, was not in the mood for visitors.

"Please tell me you're the last," he grumbled. "It's been King's Cross Station in here all night."

Tonks thought that was probably quite an exaggeration. "I don't know, but you owe me. Where's this secret passage?"

Aberforth grumped a bit more but pulled open the portrait of a young girl in old fashioned clothing nevertheless, revealing a spacious passageway.

"Leads to the Room of Requirement."

"Good old Hogwarts," Tonks replied. She climbed inside and set off at a dead run.

Soon enough, she encountered a barrier that looked like the back side of a painting, pushed it open, and climbed down into the Room of Requirement. Ginny was alone there, pacing in a manner not unlike what Tonks herself had been doing back at home recently. She looked over when Tonks dropped to the floor.

"Tonks! I didn't know you were coming!"

"I couldn't sit this one out," Tonks replied, looking around. She had never seen the Room of Requirement herself, though she had heard all about it. At the moment it looked more like a cross between a camp ground and a dormitory than anything. "I thought you'd be here. Well, maybe not here specifically, but at Hogwarts. Are you guarding the base?"

"If you want to call it that," Ginny said with a sour expression. "Mum won't let me go outside."

"Oh." Tonks was spared the danger of expressing an opinion on that when an elderly woman she did not recognize dropped out of the portrait hole. She was wearing a hat with a stuffed vulture on it.

"Mrs. Longbottom?" Ginny asked.

"Yes, that's me," the woman replied.

"Neville's grandmother?" Tonks asked. She nodded. "Mrs. Longbottom, I have to say, Neville is a wonder."

"Of course he is."

At that moment, the door, the actual door of the Room of Requirement burst open and none other than Harry, Ron, and Hermione ran inside.

"Ah, Potter," Mrs. Longbottom said immediately. "You can tell us what's going on."

"Is everyone OK?" Tonks and Ginny asked simultaneously. They took a moment to grin at each other.

The six of them sorted out a few particulars, then Tonks finally got a hint about where Remus might be, and that was all she heard before racing off. Only after a staircase and a half did she quite realize that she had just spoken with Harry Potter, who she had been trying to find for the better part of a year. She ran back, planning to give him the ribbing he deserved, but the door to the Room of Requirement had disappeared.

"What's wrong?" Ginny asked. Tonks had not realized she was following.

"I meant to ask Harry where the hell he's been and thank him for whatever he said to Remus back in September," Tonks replied. "I guess it'll have to wait. Are you coming with me?"

"If you'll have me. Harry kicked me out of the Room of Requirement."

"Molly's gonna kill me, but yes," Tonks said. "Stick close."

They worked their way down the many staircases, pausing to look outside whenever they passed a window that overlooked a new part of the grounds, but Tonks saw no sign of any resistance mounted there, only evidence of incursions by either Death Eaters or creatures from the Forbidden Forest. That only spurred them to greater speeds.

"Didn't there used to be suits of armor everywhere?" Ginny asked as they leapt down staircases two steps at a time.

"I was about to ask you the same question," Tonks replied.

Back near the Room of Requirement they had only been able to hear distant shouts and explosions, but as they ran downstairs those quickly became louder and more frequent until they were actively dodging spells and running students, and they finally had to stop at the balcony that overlooked the Entrance Hall. The volume of spells hitting the stairs was simply too great.

"Looks like we're taking the high ground, then," Tonks said, hustling with Ginny to a somewhat protected spot where they could lean out and aim spells at the Death Eaters that were streaming through the doors. "I found the suits of armor," she added. "Front line."

Ginny stood and sent a curse down to the invaders below. When she ducked back behind the banister she reported, "Professor Lupin is down there. Near the stairs, on the close side."

While she had expected nothing less, having her suspicions confirmed still filled Tonks with an odd combination of pride and dread. The next time she stood to fire back at the Death Eaters below she made sure to look where Ginny had indicated. Remus and a small group of Order members were indeed pinned down and pushed back from the foot of the stairs. Flashes of spells from the opposite side of the Entrance Hall indicated another group of defenders there, perhaps more of the Order or Aurors. Tonks spent too long taking all this in and had to duck quickly to avoid a spell cast in her direction.

"They spotted me. We have to find a new position."

Keeping low, they made their way closer to the top of the staircase. Not long after they abandoned their spot it fell under heavy bombardment and soon the floor where they had been kneeling collapsed.

"Our side doesn't look like it's doing very well down there," Ginny observed, peeking over the banister again.

Tonks had to agree. She popped up again and two off-guard Death Eaters fell to her spells, but still their main force was progressing. If they moved quickly, and they probably would, the Aurors would be able to get to the Great Hall and make a stand, but Remus's side was already cut off from the dungeons and the stairs. The next time she stood, Tonks chanced another glance at Remus, and even from a distance she could tell that he knew he was in trouble.

"There's nothing useful for them in that corner, is there?" Tonks asked Ginny.

"Just a broom cupboard."

If it had been Filch's actual office they might have been in luck, but as it stood…just a room and a door, maybe a mop…right below them… Tonks glanced at her and Ginny's original position. It sure looked like it had taken a lot of effort to get the floor to collapse, but Hogwarts did seem to know what side it was on…

"Can you take a guess at exactly where the cupboard is?"

"Oh, um, okay," Ginny said, sizing up their location in relation to the stairs. She moved a few meters to the right. "About here, I think."

"Keep a lookout," Tonks instructed, and got to work cutting a hole through the floor.

The stone did not give up easily, but Tonks was on a schedule. If she did not succeed in evacuating the Order before the Aurors made their escape into the Great Hall then the Death Eaters would simply take the opportunity to flood up the stairs and they would be no better off than they were now, perhaps even worse. Just when she was beginning to wonder just how thick the floor was, or if Ginny had been off in her estimate of the broom cupboard's location, the disk of stone broke free and she just barely managed to catch it magically before it crashed into the floor below.

Tonks swung her feet into the hole and was about to jump down when she hesitated and glanced at Ginny, but there were really no safe options at the moment.

"Would you rather go to the place where they're firing curses now or stay in the place where they might start firing curses in a minute?" she asked.

"Curses now," Ginny said at once, and Tonks lowered her into the hole, privately relieved at her choice. At least Ginny would never be alone this way.

Tonks glanced over the banister, saw the door to the broom cupboard open slightly, and started making a true nuisance of herself. A few Death Eaters fell to her spells, but most of them were ready by now and had their shield charms in place. She couldn't see the group of Aurors at all, except for the evidence left by their curses. Kingsley's full-body bind left a particular expression of surprise on his victim's faces. They had not lost access to the Great Hall yet, but no doubt would have to retreat there soon. Another glance downstairs. The Order had backed into the broom cupboard. Someone tapped Tonks's ankle and she turned and saw Ginny struggling out of the hole in the floor. Tonks helped her haul herself out, then together they lifted Fred, George, Bill, and last of all Remus.

"Wotcher!" she said to him, grinning. The Weasleys had already taken up a position at the top of the stairs, where they were having somewhat better luck with the advancing Death Eaters.

"Dora! You came!" His relieved grin and troubled eyes no doubt matched hers.

"Of course I came, there's a castle to save and Death Eaters to capture, where else would I be?" There was a crash, and Tonks saw that one of the doors to the Great Hall had shut, creating a bottleneck for any Death Eaters who fancied another round with Aurors.

"Where's Teddy?" Remus asked.

"I left him with my Mum, where do you think? He's in better hands than you."

"Well, that's hardly true anymore. I'm in your hands now."

"Oh, pack it in you old romantic, and let's do this."

The six of them managed to hold the stairs for a time, things even started to look up when the Aurors apparently broke out a window of the Great Hall and circled around to attack the Death Eaters from behind, but they were still outnumbered. Of course, the Acromantulas that attacked the Aurors from outside and the giants that started to break through the wall behind the Order did not help either. The Order barely held out long enough to receive Kingsley's Patronus message that the Aurors would find brooms and break into one of the upper levels before a particularly long-armed giant finally crashed through the wall behind them and they had to retreat, the Weasleys towards the Charms corridor and the Lupins separated from them on the grand staircase side.

"Molly's definitely going to kill me," Tonks lamented, watching Ginny disappear with her brothers.

"Ginny will be fine," Remus said, tugging on her arm to get her moving. "Did some of those Death Eaters look like the ones we marooned after the full moon?"

"I was thinking the same thing," Tonks said. "Some of them had sun burns. I'd like to know how they got rescued, but there's nothing we can do about it now."

"Any idea what's going on in the rest of the castle?"

"Not much of one," Tonks replied, following him up the stairs. The grand staircase was shuffling itself more rapidly that she had ever seen before. "When I saw him, Harry needed to do something with the Room of Requirement."

"He, Ron, and Hermione were looking for something," Remus said. "I never found out what, but it must be important for them to come back here."

"Then it sounds like we should try and keep the Death Eaters off their backs long enough for them to find it," Tonks decided, then she realized where they were heading. "Why are we going to Defense Against the Dark Arts?"

"Because it's just Dark Arts this year, so maybe there are some things in there that we don't want the other side getting their hands on just now," Remus said. "And I've heard a lot about that Amycus Carrow, so if I get the chance I'd like to show him how a Defense teacher is supposed to behave. If we run into Alecto you're welcome to teach her a few things about Muggles and Muggle-borns, if you like."

"This is no time for personal grudges, but yeah, I'd like that."

"And if you spot Umbridge…"

"Torture her slowly? Got it."

"No, point her out so I can torture her slowly."

"We might have a problem there," Tonks said.

"Together, then?"

"Together. Or, whoever manages to shake off their astonishment at actually finding her here."

"Fair's fair."

Tonks reached the Defense corridor first and held an arm out to stop Remus, but he bumped into her, knocking her off balance. Unable to reverse her own momentum in time, it took some quick work with a shield charm to block the curse that the Death Eater sent at her. She could feel the heat of it on her skin. After it passed by a moment later Remus grabbed her by the rib cage and yanked her back around the corner.

"Are you all right?" he demanded, his eyes wild. "I'm so sorry."

"Fine, I'm fine," Tonks said. "Dolohov is guarding the office. There must be something in there."

"I'm sorry."

Tonks poked her head around the corner again. Dolohov hadn't left his post but was watching their side of the corridor intently and sent another curse as soon as he spotted her. She ducked it easily.

"Stop apologizing. He knows we're here. We need a plan to get past him."

"Keep him occupied," Remus said. "I'll go around to the other side and surprise him. It should only take a few minutes to get there."

"All right, be careful," Tonks said, squeezing his hand. "Send a Patronus if you run into trouble."

"You too," Remus said, squeezing back. Then he jogged off back down the hallway.

Once he had gone, Tonks lifted her wand and aimed a spell around the corner. She did not have long enough to sight and missed, but intended to try again, thinking about what fun it would be to have already taken down Dolohov herself by the time Remus returned. It seemed only fair; he'd had a huge head start in this battle.

As the minutes stretched, Tonks darted back around the corner at irregular intervals, just to keep Dolohov on his toes, but he was always ready for her and kept moving just enough that she never knew quite where to aim. Worse, though, was that the castle itself seemed to be coming under heavy bombardment, the walls and floors kept shuddering and quaking, worse and worse, and mostly from the upper floors. There were no windows in sight, but Tonks was growing concerned that a ceiling somewhere might collapse and precipitate the fall of the entire castle.

"Do you know what's happening up there?" Tonks whispered to the subject in the nearest painting, a milk maid who was struggling to keep a shelf of ceramic vases and pots intact through the frequent quakes.

"Rocks and trebuchets," she replied, just barely managing to catch a jug before it hit the ground.

Tonks couldn't be sure if she was only guessing, it seemed unlikely that Death Eaters would try and break the castle using Muggle siege engines. "Do yourself a favor and just put all those on the floor," she whispered to the portrait before jumping out to send another spell toward Dolohov.

When she ducked back around to safety the milk maid was looking at her like she had never heard of such an idea and Remus's Patronus said, "Ready."

"Damn," Tonks grumbled. She really had wanted to take out Dolohov herself, but she shook off the disappointment and redoubled her distractions. The third time she jumped out Dolohov was lying unconscious in front of the office door and Remus was jogging down the corridor. At least Tonks got the satisfaction of tying up the Death Eater.

"Any trouble?" Tonks asked Remus when he reached her at the door. She was already at work on the lock.

"I passed Fred and Percy. They were outnumbered, so I stopped a minute to help, they seemed to have it under control after that," Remus replied. "They're really working hard on those upper floors," he added when the castle shook again.

"Gotcha," Tonks said when the lock finally sprung. She waved her wand, verifying that the room was unoccupied. "Now what's so important in here?"

Remus followed her inside but stayed near the door so he could keep a lookout. Tonks tried to light any lamps in the area, but there seemed not to be any so she conjured some candles, lit them, and scattered them around the room, then, almost as quickly extinguished them again.

"What?" Remus asked. He must have seen the flash of light but not what it revealed.

"It's a stack of Erumpet horns," Tonks replied. "At least five of them. The room is completely empty other than that."

"Where did they get that many?"

"Isn't the real question what are we going to do about them?" Tonks pointed out. "Do you think five is enough to destroy the whole castle?"

"I don't know, maybe if they were separated and in the right locations," Remus said. "Grouped together like that they'll definitely turn this section to dust."

"So why are they here?" Tonks said. "As a fail-safe? A threat?" She lit her wand and shined it around where she could see without getting any closer. "There aren't any physical trip wires, and if there's a magical trap it wasn't activated when we opened the door or came inside. Do you think there are more of them in other places?"

Remus shrugged. "Try summoning one."

Tonks spun to look at him and caught the glint of humor in his eye.

"Ah, Merlin and Archimedes."

"The Headmaster's office isn't so far from here," Remus pointed out. "Maybe the Carrows were supposed to kill Snape if he got out of line."

"And the best they could come up with was a stack of Erumpet horns? Typical. Although Snape can take most anyone in a duel."

"There's a window on the opposite side of the room," Remus said.

"Good idea," Tonks agreed. "We could levitate them out of the castle and drop them on the giants, or just detonate them at a safe distance."

"Dora…"

Tonks turned to look at him. He had called her Dora. That probably meant he had something important he wanted to say.

"…maybe you should go."

"Go where? I'm not leaving."

"I just mean go to a different part of the castle, so if those do go off we won't both be here."

"Then who would keep watch?"

"I'll set up a sentinel charm or something."

"It's going to take two people to maneuver those through the window."

"Dora! Teddy needs his mother!"

"How many times do we have to go over this? He needs his father too, so what do you say we both do everything we can to come back instead of one of us packing it in early?"

Remus stared down at her and Tonks stared up at him. Remus blinked first and shined his wand toward the window.

"That's smaller than I remember."

"Those must have been big, grandpa Erumpets," Tonks added, nodding toward the horns.

"It's going to take two people to get those out the window."

"I agree."

"And someone will have to keep the rest of the stack steady while the other one lifts off each horn."

"Exactly, so let's get to work."

As it transpired, they really could have used a third, or even a fourth, person when it came to getting the horns off the stack and through the window, but they managed it twice without incident. The giants turned out to be on the opposite side of the castle, but on the second horn Tonks did manage to leave a crater on the grounds where part of a swarm of Acromantulas had been.

Tonks barely managed to get the third horn out the window. Remus had to remove a few bricks from the wall to give it more space. It was only just clear of the window when a massive explosion shook the castle down to its very foundation. Remus pulled her to the floor and covered her with his body and a shield charm.

"Shit!" Tonks exclaimed once the shockwave had finished rippling through the floor. "I thought we were clear!"

But then she looked up. The two remaining horns were still on the floor in front of them. If another horn had gone off so close to those two, they should have followed suit.

Remus rolled off of her and said, "The wall is still intact." There was astonishment in his voice.

Only then did Tonks realize that she still had the third horn under her control. Somehow, it was not what had exploded.

"I…I still have it."

"Then what was that?"

"I don't know," Tonks said. "It was close, though. Can you see anything outside?"

She moved the horn away from the window so Remus could see more of the area. He craned his head up and reported, "There's a gaping hole in the wall two floors up. I can hear screams."

Tonks could too, now that she was listening for them. It made her stomach churn.

Remus turned his attention to the grounds and eventually pointed, "There! At the edge of the Forbidden Forest! A group of Death Eaters with a trebuchet or something."

Tonks looked but could not see herself. Remus must have augmented his vision. She let him guide the horn to the cluster of Death Eaters. They wouldn't knock any more holes in the sides of castles ever again.

They finished sending the last two horns outside at speed, both wanting to finish quickly and get upstairs to the site of the explosion.

Then the last horn was gone, detonated overhead like a firework. Tonks lit the candles to check for any remaining traps, then she and Remus embraced briefly in relief and turned to the door. It was a mark of how the last few months had gone that when Tonks saw who was standing in the doorway she nearly asked her mother what she was doing there.

"Oh look," she said instead, eying Bellatrix Lestrange. "I fished my wish."


	23. When Dark wizards or enemies are around

Author's Note: This is the third to last chapter, so I wanted to take a quick second and give you, dear reader, a round of applause. You started reading a story that you knew would end badly for three of the four characters it starts with, and you've almost made it to the end. That takes guts, or masochism, but let's go with guts. Thank you for sticking it out. I'll do my best to give these characters the send-off they deserve. But first, some of Dean's shenanigans.

Also! While editing the story, I started wondering what Ted's Muggle-born rescuing network might look like from the perspective of someone who needs to find it and follow it to safety, particularly if that person is a Muggle-born who is in one of the earlier years at Hogwarts. I work these types of things out by running the scenario with actual characters, so the result is a short story, which I'm also posting today. It's called "Benji Clark finds the Invisible Portkey" and you should be able to find a link on my profile page, if you're interested.

Thanks for reading!

 **Chapter 23: When Dark wizards or enemies are around**

"Tell me again what happened to you?" Dean said as he, Seamus, and Luna raced up the stairs out of the Room of Requirement. They were on their way to the Great Hall and whatever last preparations the defenders of Hogwarts could make before the Death Eaters met them in battle. Having already run to the Ravenclaw Common Room and back Luna was lagging a bit but Dean pulled her along.

"The usual," Seamus replied, but when he looked back and caught sight of Dean's flummoxed shrug he elaborated. "Talking about how great Harry Potter is within earshot of the Carrows or most Slytherins is a good way to earn a trip to the dungeons, but after hearing about Gringotts I just couldn't help myself."

"So they beat you up?" Dean asked. Perhaps he should have guessed already, but it seemed that Luna had rather understated the situation at Hogwarts this year.

"They're not very smart, the Carrows. They can't seem to figure out why torturing any rebel students they find doesn't stop us. 'Course, if it weren't for Neville, who knows where we'd be."

Dean had to use all his breath for propelling himself and Luna for the moment, that and marveling at the fact that Seamus had just said 'torture' with the same inflection he might of used to discuss lunch. They emerged out of the hidden corridor and Dean would have needed a minute to get his bearings if not for the stream of people leaving the Room of Requirement that led them to a more familiar hallway. Four more flights down and they would be at the Great Hall. Seamus seemed to take Dean's silence as an invitation to continue, or perhaps as an indication of skepticism about his last statement.

"I'm serious; it was Neville who kept us from giving up, figured out things we could do to resist the Carrows and Snape. I've lost track of how many times he let himself get caught so the rest of us could escape. Forget Harry and whatever the hell he's been up to, Neville's the one I trust to get us out of this."

"Something tells me we'll need both of them," Dean replied. "Everyone thinks Harry must have been doing something important." And Dean had spent the better part of the year with all his hopes pinned on Harry, reassuring himself through many a lonely and frozen night that someone had the ability to put a stop to this, and he wasn't prepared to give that up so easily.

"They're both quite remarkable," Luna agreed airily as they reached the Great Hall.

The place was bubbling with strained voices and unfamiliar adults. Dean lost track of Luna in the crush but spotted her later sitting at the Ravenclaw table. Professor Lupin was near the head of the Gryffindor table but looking the other way. Seamus managed to find himself and Dean seats across from Neville.

"What's the plan?" Seamus whispered, completely ignoring whatever Professor McGonagall was saying at the front of the room.

Conversely, Neville seemed to be trying to keep at least half an ear on what their head of house was saying. "We're fighting, of course."

"I know that," Seamus said, "but what's the plan?"

Neville had something in his hand that he kept turning over and over. It was one of the DA's false Galleons, Dean's was in his pocket, and, he suspected, Tonks's was in hers. But Luna had modified Dean's coin to match Neville's and he had not felt it burn since getting Neville's message that the battle would be at Hogwarts. Whatever Neville came up with, it was his own plan. Dean looked around again, paying special attention to the people around Professor Lupin, but he did not spot Tonks anywhere. Harry, however, was drifting up and down the nearest wall, scrutinizing the Gryffindor table.

"Well, none of us can really expect to win a duel with a Death Eater," Neville said. "Maybe Harry could, but the rest of us?"

Now that he could see both of them at once, Dean could not help but compare Harry and Neville. One looked ragged and exhausted, uncertain and near the end of his rope. The other was covered in layers of cuts and bruises but looked ready for anything. Suddenly, Dean could see Seamus's point about the two of them.

"So we need to be smart and work together," Neville continued. "We know this castle better than-"

"I know that you are preparing to fight. Your efforts are futile. You cannot fight me. I do not want to kill you. I have great respect for the teachers of Hogwarts. I do not want to spill magical blood."

"Is that You-Know-Who?" Seamus whispered, his quaking voice barely audible against the silence that fell over the Great Hall.

Dean didn't know. Neville nodded. Idly, Dean wondered how Neville knew what Voldemort's voice sounded like, or if he was only guessing. Realistically, it came to the same thing.

"Give me Harry Potter and none shall be harmed. Give me Harry Potter, and I shall leave the school untouched. Give me Harry Potter, and you will be rewarded. You have until midnight."

Dean looked up at Harry, he couldn't help himself. Neither, it seemed, could anyone else. And Harry looked bewildered, hardly an auspicious start.

"But he's there! Potter's _there!_ Someone grab him!"

Dean didn't even think about it. He stood with every other Gryffindor at that table and turned to face whoever had spoken, shielding Harry from view. It was Pansy Parkinson. He should have guessed. Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws got to their feet as well. People were drawing wands and Dean felt a surge of panic when he reached into his pocket and failed to find his, but he had already known it was lost to the Snatchers.

"Thank you, Miss Parkinson," said Professor McGonagall. "You will leave the Hall first with Mr. Filch. If the rest of your house could follow."

Students started filing out, starting with the Slytherins. Gradually, Dean could start to catch glimpses of Harry again through the clearing crowd and was amazed to see that he no longer resembled the overwhelmed teenager he had been only a minute earlier, now he looked, well, still overwhelmed, but also grateful, more confident, like he had been reminded that there were more people than just him on his side of the fight.

Seamus was pulling aside the evacuating Gryffindors as they passed and Dean realized he was trying to get one of them to lend Dean a wand.

"No, don't, it's all right," Dean insisted, after Seamus had already convinced a first year to part with his. "He might need it."

"What are you going to do, though?" Seamus asked, but he did hand the first year his wand back.

"I don't know, throw bricks or something. I'll find a wand another way."

Dean had not noticed that Neville had left, but he jogged back over to them a moment later and said, "I convinced Fred and George to let me get some students together to guard the grand staircase. Are you with me?"

"Just so you know, mate, you don't have to ask," Seamus declared. "Let's go."

This seemed to be the moment that most of the DA had been waiting for. By the time they reached the Entrance Hall the three of them had been joined by Luna, Lavender Brown, Hanna Abbott, the Patil twins, Michael Corner, Terry Boot, Anthony Goldstein, and Ernie Macmillan.

"What d'you reckon, Neville?" Michael asked as they set off for the upper floors.

"We need to make sure that Harry has the space to do whatever it is he needs to do," Neville said. "That means keeping the castle clear for as long as possible. The entrance to the Room of Requirement is four floors up today, so we should spread out on that level and take shots out the windows and at anyone who makes it inside and tries to come up the stairs. If we need to we can retreat into the Room or upstairs. Make sense?"

"Dumbledore's Army!" Michael shouted, pumping a fist.

"Dumbledore's Army!" everyone echoed, and they began to disperse.

"Look out for each other!" Neville shouted after them.

"Oi, what do we do with wandless, here?" Seamus asked Neville, gesturing at Dean. Dean patted his pockets again, self-consciously.

Neville crossed his arms and considered Dean for a moment.

"I can run messages…" Dean offered, feeling useless.

"Nah, everyone's figured out the Order's trick with the talking Patronuses," Seamus said. "Had to do something over the last few weeks."

"You played chaser," Neville said slowly.

"Yeah." When he played at all. Dean had never been more than a substitute.

"Ever fancied a go at playing beater?"

Not until that exact moment he hadn't. "Can one of you summon me a Bludger and a bat?"

"On it," Seamus said, opening a window. A minute later he was nearly knocked flat by a chest of Quidditch balls.

Dean pulled the chest away from him and extracted a bat. The Bludgers he left restrained for the moment. Deciding he would need some open space for this, Dean started to drag the chest to an unoccupied section of balcony, then realized the Bludgers would not necessarily come back to him. He would need a broom to chase them down and direct them.

"Hey Seamus! Neville!"

But they were busy sending spells down to the grounds below and ducking the curses that came back in retaliation. It was midnight, the battle had begun.

With nothing else to do, Dean opened a window, released a Bludger, and tried to knock it through to a group of Death Eaters who were advancing toward the doors. It did not work out as expected, starting with it crashing through the part of the window that Dean had not opened. And, not unexpectedly, the Bludger sailed high over the Death Eaters' heads and off into the night. Dejectedly, Dean carefully pulled a broken piece of glass from the window frame and tossed it out, but he did not even bother to try and see where it landed, certain that it would be far short.

He needed a wand, or at least a broom. Maybe someone had taken a broom into the Room of Requirement, or it could create one for him. His only other chance was to try the Gryffindor Common Room, and he didn't even know the password. Dean started toward the entrance to the Room of Requirement at a run, but then the castle shook massively and he heard shouts and flashes of light from downstairs. The Death Eaters had broken in. While that was hardly good news in general, if the battle was contained inside then maybe the remaining Bludger would be a little more useful.

At a distance, Dean glimpsed Tonks and Ginny emerging from the Room of Requirement and running towards the Entrance Hall. A minute later, Harry, Ron, and Hermione appeared as well but took off for the upper floors. Dean ran to the entrance, but it had disappeared, there was no one left inside. He ran back to Neville instead.

"The Room of Requirement's disappeared," Dean told him, knowing that that line of retreat had been part of Neville's strategy. "Er, it's gone back to whatever it is when there's no one inside, anyway."

Neville took the news in stride. "Have the Death Eaters made it past the Entrance Hall yet?" he asked.

"Not that I can see," Dean reported, leaning over the banister to check. "But the staircases must know that something is going on, I've never seen them move this quickly before."

"It's down to secret passages, then," Neville decided.

"I'll relay that to the others," Dean offered, knowing Neville was too busy lobbing spells outside to send Patronuses himself.

DA members were scattered at windows all over the floor, but Dean managed to find them all and update them on the situation. After that, he returned to his useless chest of Quidditch balls.

"What am I supposed to do with you?" he grumbled at them. He had spent the better part of a year on the run, watched two good men and a fair-minded Goblin die, fought his way to Hogwarts for what could well be the battle that would decide this war, and now he couldn't even do anything to help because the Snatchers took his lousy wand. In frustration, Dean lifted the Quaffle and tossed it over the banister. It bounced off one of the staircases as it swung to a new position, hit a portrait square on the nose, ricocheted off a banister, broke a window, and sailed outside.

"Well, if the Death Eaters don't kill me Filch definitely will," Dean decided.

The shouts and flashes from the Entrance Hall were getting more pronounced. Around him, Dean could see members of Dumbledore's Army abandon their windows and prepare to defend the staircase.

Dean glared again at his remaining Bludger. If he couldn't have a broom then he at least needed a smaller area, someplace the Bludger would be more or less contained and it could bounce off as many walls as it liked, and as many Death Eaters. There was just such a connecting hallway between the Entrance Hall and the grand staircase, if he could get to it. It was four floors below him, down the manic staircases or a serious detour through the secret corridors. Dean looked once more at the Bludger, thinking hard. He had seen Bludgers knock players twice his size clean off their brooms, but they always had a flying start. Could one hold him up? Maybe not completely, but he was trying to get downstairs anyway. But suppose it decided to fly down? Well, then he'd really be in trouble, wouldn't he.

If he survived this, Dean would have to do some hard thinking about his own sanity, but for the moment he pocketed both bats, then put a foot on the Bludger and released the straps holding it in the chest. He knocked against the Snitch and it escaped, but he wasn't sure what he would have used it for anyway. With difficulty, Dean wrangled the Bludger into his arms, and jumped over the banister.

"Dean! What're you-"

A fair question, Dean thought as he fell. He could feel the Bludger squirming in his arms, trying to escape, having no effect whatsoever on his trajectory. There was no way his own leap was enough to carry him to the other side, and he had neglected to consider the difficulty in keeping hold of the Bludger even if it did decide to try some independent flight. He was going to hit the hard stone in front of the Muggle studies classroom four floors below where he started and that would be the end of him. Maybe his dent would at least serve as a cautionary tale and convince them to start teaching physics.

Why wasn't he dead yet?

"Dean! That was the stupidest thing I've ever seen!" Seamus called from above.

Dean opened his eyes – he hadn't realized he'd closed them – and looked around. He was floating in the center of the grand staircase, curled around the Bludger, and, somehow, not dead. Seamus had caught him with a levitation charm.

There was not a lot of point in responding to what Seamus had said, Dean decided.

"Just put me down near the Entrance Hall!" he shouted back in a shaky voice.

"Stay in school, mate!" Seamus replied, lowering Dean as he had requested.

Dean's knees just about collapsed when he finally touched down, or maybe the Bludger just chose that moment to make a bid for freedom. Either way, Dean only barely managed to keep both his feet and the Bludger as he hurried over to the narrow hallway. It looked like the Death Eaters in the Entrance Hall had just broken through the Order's defenses there: he could see five red-headed people retreating down the Charms corridor, and Professor Lupin and Tonks had gone up a staircase while Dean was being floated down. Well, maybe the Bludger would slow the Death Eaters down a bit more.

Dean waited until the invaders had just reached the hallway that led to the grand staircase, then released the Bludger in with them. It finally behaved itself and hurled toward the ceiling, ricocheted off and hit a Death Eater in the chest, knocking him to the ground, came toward Dean, who knocked it back with the bat, and broke a second Death Eater's nose. After that, though, it escaped into the Entrance Hall and Dean had to retreat, but at least he felt a little better about his usefulness.

One of the Death Eaters took the opportunity to escape past him – Bellatrix Lestrange, it had to be – and Dean was only too happy to avoid her, but the remaining Death Eaters seemed to remember that Quidditch was played with two Bludgers and were hesitant to cross paths with the second one. Of course, that would not buy Dean much time at all, he should run while he could. He turned and just about jumped out of his skin when someone blew a raspberry in his ear.

"PEEVES!" Dean bellowed, in his surprise completely forgetting that he needed to try and be stealthy.

"You dropped this," Peeves replied, holding out the snitch.

"Thanks?" Dean said, taking it. Then something clicked. Unlike normal ghosts, Peeves could hold things – Bludger bats, for instance – and he liked causing mayhem, Death Eaters couldn't harm him… "Peeves, how would you like to try and knock out some Death Eaters with a Bludger?"

"Thought you'd never ask," Peeves replied, taking the bat Dean offered him and soaring off into the Entrance Hall.

A moment later Dean could hear him cackling as he hit the Bludger back toward the narrower hallway. Dean took up a position around the corner on the opposite side, where he could hit the Bludger back if it escaped in his direction. It was like the strangest game of tennis Dean had ever seen or heard of, but it dropped three more Death Eaters and lasted until one of the remaining ones landed a lucky curse on the Bludger that finally blasted it to pieces. After that Dean had to make a very hasty retreat down the hallway, but he could hear the cheers and whoops from Dumbledore's Army as he ran for the secret passages that would take him back upstairs.

By the time he reached the floor where his friends were making their stand, their force had already broken. He just caught on to the tail end of a group of them retreating upstairs. Terry Boot was ahead of him.

"Seamus says when he sees you he owes you a kick up the arse," he relayed.

"Where is Seamus?" Dean asked, craning his neck to inspect those ahead of them. At least half the original force was missing, a troubling statistic.

"Neville told us to split up," Terry replied. "Half downstairs, half upstairs."

"Well, if you see Seamus before me, tell him I owe him a case of Firewhiskey."

"I think you owe everyone a case of Firewhiskey. Each."

Dean never got the chance to respond to that. Whoever was at the head of the line emerged from the corridor straight into a group of Death Eaters. Those at the front fell quickly. Those in the middle had just barely enough warning and numbers to hold their own. By the time Dean reached the fight it no longer mattered that he didn't have a wand, he hardly knew any healing spells anyway.

* * *

"You have fought valiantly. Lord Voldemort knows how to value bravery."

Dean disagreed. He had hardly fought at all. All he could seem to do was press a corner of tapestry to Lavender Brown's bitten and clawed shoulder and try to keep her from bleeding out.

"Yet you have sustained heavy losses. If you continue to resist me, you will all die, one by one."

Dean shifted the tapestry so he was pressing a cleaner part to Lavender's shoulder, but blood soaked it almost immediately. He could hardly stand to look at her pale face. When he had first knelt down at her side she had grabbed his sleeve like it was the only thing holding her to the ground, but she had fallen unconscious in only a few minutes. This time, Dean believed what Voldemort said.

"I do not wish this to happen. Every drop of magical blood spilled is a loss and a waste."

Lavender had sure wasted a lot of blood, in that case.

"Lord Voldemort is merciful. I command my forces to retreat, immediately. You have one hour. Dispose of your dead with dignity. Treat your injured."

Dean didn't bother listening to the rest. "Is anyone there!" he shouted. "I need help over here! I've got an injured person!"

It only occurred to him later that maybe no one could hear him over whatever Voldemort was still saying, but he kept it up until someone finally did find them, expertly stopped Lavender's bleeding, and helped Dean lift her before moving on to look for more of the injured. Dean never got a name, he just carried Lavender down the flights of stairs to the Great Hall, as directed, stumbling and slipping many times on the rubble. His arms and legs were shaking by the time he set her down alongside the rest of the injured.

The shaking didn't stop when Dean stood up and looked around the rest of the Great Hall. Rows upon rows of people were laid out across the floor, injured or dead, with knots of people moving among them, tending their injuries, or mourning their losses. Dean walked among them, lending a shoulder where one was needed, somehow unscathed himself despite his lack of wand.

A cluster of red haired people huddled around a prone form in the center of the room: Fred Weasley, Dean learned as he approached, though he could hardly believe it. A loose ring of people encapsulated the grieving Weasleys, everyone who had known Fred, so just about everyone.

Parvati Patil was kneeling nearby, repeatedly pushing her sister back to the ground whenever she tried to sit up, looking again at Fred and George every time she did so.

Seamus, Neville, and Luna appeared at the door, each burdened with a different person. Luna was struggling with the weight of the semi-conscious Michael Corner, and Dean rushed over to help her, but after making sure Michael was in good hands she hurried back out onto the grounds.

"It's bad out there," Seamus reported.

"I owe you a case of Firewhiskey," Dean replied.

"Terry told me. I'll hold you to that, so you better not do something else stupid and get yourself killed."

"No promises."

They handed their burdens over to the Healers and Dean nearly followed the other two back outside, but then he noticed Professor Lupin and Tonks lying side by side not far from the Weasleys. He ran over to them, but it was already much, much too late. No one else was there for them, so Dean sat down between their feet and took up the watch.

People were moving around him, tending to the injured, covering the dead. Dean chose not to help for now. He was where he needed to be, standing sentinel over two good people who never gave up.

He was still there when the most terrible voice he had ever heard ripped through the castle for a third time and spoke the most terrible words imaginable.

"Harry Potter is dead. He was killed as he ran away, trying to save himself while you lay down your lives for him. We bring you his body as proof that your hero is gone."

That was a lie. Dean looked up and around. Everyone still standing knew it was a lie. Everyone lying injured knew that Harry would never run away from this fight. So what else had Voldemort just lied about?

"The battle is won. You have lost half your fighters. My Death Eaters outnumber you and the Boy Who Lived is finished. There must be no more war."

But they still had half their fighters.

"Anyone who continues to resist, man, woman, or child, will be slaughtered, as will every member of their family. Come out of the castle now, kneel before me, and you shall be spared. Your parents and children, your brothers and sisters will live, and be forgiven, and you will join me in the new world we shall build together."

Somehow, Dean did not think that was true either. Not for a Muggle-born, not for anyone who took up wands that night, or Bludgers. All around him, people knew the same. They were checking their pockets, shaking hands with those who could no longer fight, getting to their feet, moving on mass to one final confrontation. Dean stood, followed, doubled back, took the wand that protruded from Professor Lupin's pocket, whispered his apology and thanks, found himself standing outside between Seamus and Luna, his wand hand feeling light again.

Voldemort and all his Death Eaters stood facing them across the courtyard, along with Hagrid, with Harry lying still in his arms. So Voldemort had told the truth about something.

The two sides faced off, Voldemort maintaining his story that Harry had tried to abandon them, and the defenders of Hogwarts knowing it to be fiction. Dean took part in the shouts of defiance, watched Neville break the stalemate, heard the Centaurs and other creatures of the forest rise to their aid, watcher Kreacher lead the House Elves in a charge, saw the Sword of Gryffindor appear in the Sorting Hat, gasped when Neville sliced the head from Voldemort's snake, saw Hagrid's distress when he saw that Harry had disappeared. After that, all was chaos.

Dean found himself in the courtyard, still with Seamus and Luna, face to face with a Death Eater he recognized from an ages old wanted poster: Rodolphus Lestrange. He had to wonder if he could have chosen a worse opponent on which to find out whether or not Professor Lupin's wand would work for him.

Rodolphus pointed his wand right at Dean and cast a nonverbal spell at him. Dean's shield charm held, answering the most important question on his mind.

"Who'd you steal that wand from, Mudblood?" Rodolphus sneered when he tried again with similar results.

Dean was initially at a loss for a witty response, not least because he more or less had stolen this wand. But he was planning to give it back, and Professor Lupin didn't need it at the moment.

"You're a Muggle-born," was all he could come up with on short notice.

It sounded childish even as he said it, like something Michelle would say to Cynthia when she lost patience with four year old logic.

"What did you call me?"

On the other hand…

"I called you a Muggle-born." It was Ted's conclusion, after all.

"You'll pay for that."

"Don't you read the paper?" Dean asked him. "We're all Muggle-born. There's proof."

"It's true," Luna said, adding her spells to Dean's. "It was in _The Quibbler_."

"And the _Prophet_ , and the radio," Seamus said.

"We are all Muggle-born!" Dean shouted at Rodolphus.

"Stop saying that!"

But more people around them had taken up the cry and it soon became a chant. With that as background, Dean, Seamus, and Luna found a rhythm and began to coordinate their attack.

"We are all Muggle-born!"

Body bind. Blocked.

"We are all Muggle-born!"

Restraints. Blocked. But Rodolphus had to take a step backward for the extra time.

"We are-"

Rodolphus sent back something nasty, but their triple shield held.

"-all Muggle-born!"

Stunning spells. Those got through.

"We are all Muggle-born!"

The main fight seemed to be in the Great Hall. The three of them raced to join it, fighting in tandem against all opposition. They were just in time to see Harry face Voldemort in single combat. And win.


	24. Harmless as any other human

**Chapter 24: Harmless as any other human**

"Oh, look, I fished my wish," Tonks said. Remus whirled to face the door and found Bellatrix Lestrange standing there, twirling her wand, blocking their exit. "I don't suppose Pettigrew is around too?" Tonks continued.

"That traitor is dead," Bellatrix snarled. Dolohov appeared behind her. She must have woken him up and untied him while Remus and Tonks were occupied.

"Traitor to your side too? Tough luck anyway, Remus. How about Greyback? Never mind, we'll get to him next," Tonks said. "Hey Bellatrix, did you know my Mum's been impersonating you sometimes? It's true, she's pretty good at it. She's been getting Snatchers to lay off of Muggles, mostly. All in your name, of course."

"Maybe antagonizing your psychotic aunt isn't the best idea," Remus whispered.

"Nah, she needs to hear this, and it's not like she can get any crazier. Don't let her hear you call her psychotic, though." She said that in a carrying voice. Remus winced.

"The werewolf and the shapeshifter," Dolohov said gleefully. "Think of the rewards for their skins!"

"Quiet!" Bellatrix snapped. "And how is little Dromeda?"

"Quite well, thank you," Tonks replied. "I'll be sure to tell her you asked after her."

"Better now without that Mudblood she married?"

Tonks may have tried to respond to that, but ended up only making a choking noise. Remus gripped her free hand with his.

"Are we just going to stand here talking?" he asked.

"Would you look at that?" Bellatrix mused. "The werewolf wants to die. Can't stand the shame you bring on your wife and cub anymore? Many happy returns, by the by."

Tonks squeezed his hand, hard. They would have to let go when the duel began, but not a moment before.

"It's a boy, in case you were wondering," Tonks said.

"Enough of this," Dolohov decided, shoving past Bellatrix. "The werewolf's mine."

And that was how it started.

Unlike Voldemort and Snape, and fortunately for Remus, Dolohov preferred to duel in pure spells rather than transfigurations. He even had four or five curses he liked to use that Remus could counter as long as he kept sharp. Of course if he didn't find a way to end it quickly Dolohov would start to drift toward a last resort that Remus could do nothing about, so better not to let it come to that.

Tonks seemed to be having a trickier time of it. They were dueling back to back, so Remus could not see her or Bellatrix, but based on the jets of light and, occasionally, bricks that flew past him, not to mention the grunts and muttered spells from Tonks and the insane cackles from Bellatrix, things were not going well. Despite her considerable skill, the last time Tonks had faced off with Bellatrix was in the Department of Mysteries, and that had not ended in Tonks's favor. Remus tried not to think of that, only continued searching for a way to end his duel with Dolohov so he could help his wife.

There! An opening! Dolohov had to duck a stray curse from Bellatrix and Remus hit him with a full body bind. But he had not gotten long enough to aim and only paralyzed half of his opponent, the off-hand side. Dolohov stumbled but raised his wand, and Remus was Imperiused.

Remus had been Imperiused before, by Kingsley Shacklebolt, no less. It had been practice, but Kingsley had not held back. Still, it was a different thing to fall under the curse as administered by a Death Eater in the heat of battle. His mind went to fog, to mud. The room swam and he wondered without much interest whether he was still on his feet.

 _Drop your wand._

Remus gripped it tighter.

"What happened, Remus?" Tonks's voice, but it was had to distinguish through the clouds and haze. She might've touched his elbow.

 _Drop your wand, werewolf!_

"Shake it off, Moony! I can't break it for you right now!"

Remus tried. He was resisting, he hadn't dropped his wand yet, but Dolohov had a tight grip.

 _Damnit, kill the shapeshifter, then._

"NEVER!" Remus shouted, his mind instantly clear. "Never!"

"There you go!" Tonks exclaimed.

"Idiot!" Bellatrix decided simultaneously. "Let me!"

Remus saw his own shadow in green light, then Tonks collapsed against him. He was just barely quick enough to catch her before she hit the hard stone floor, but he could do nothing else, not even breathe.

His knees stung from striking the floor. His arms shook as they cradled Tonks to his chest. His mind refused to comprehend what had just happened. She was so alive, she had her whole life left, their whole lives.

"Oopsie."

Oopsie? Damn Bellatrix, couldn't she just let him mourn in peace, or else end it! Why oopsie? Had…had she been aiming for him instead of Tonks? Had Tonks stepped in the way?

Remus cried into her hair. Dora, why did you do that?

Dolohov muttered something to Bellatrix. Remus didn't bother to listen.

But his brain latched onto something like a summoning charm. Had Tonks taken the killing curse for him? Did that mean she had given him the same protection Lily had given Harry? But even as he wondered that, he knew she hadn't. If anyone had that protection, it was Teddy.

And if it hadn't worked for Dora? Maybe it could still work for him. No one knew where they were, Remus could not fight his way out of this alone. But he could still do something: he could die for a purpose.

Remus had his wand in a death grip, but he forced his hand open and cast the narrow piece of wood aside, a wizard no longer, just a man.

"Oh, now he does it," Dolohov muttered.

"Well, take him, if it means so much to you," Bellatrix said.

And the green light came for Remus too.

Then there was nothing.

And nothing.

And nothing.

And nothing.

And

something.

Someplace.

The Forbidden Forest.

Remus looked around. He was not alone. Sirius, James, and Lily were there too. It was not a surprise to learn that he was dead. He seemed to know more than he had when he was alive, and he felt lighter. All the burdens, even the ones he had not known he carried, lifted from his shoulders. And his own losses, while still present, ached a little less.

And Harry, vibrantly alive, visible to Remus even through his invisibility cloak. Remus understood without having to wonder what had drawn him back from wherever he had been. Harry needed him, all of them, and there was no question that they would be there for him.

Lily spoke first.

"You've been so brave."

They spoke for a short while, the five of them, then walked on into the forest. Lily stayed next to Harry and James, Sirius, and Remus trailed close behind, almost like they were sixteen again. Remus had so much he wanted to say to them, but this was not the time. Maybe there would be time, later, he could not say yet. It seemed he could see the past through a clearer lens, but the future remained as opaque as ever.

Then they reached a clearing. Voldemort waited at the other side. Remus thought he would never understand how Harry managed to step into that circle, throw off his cloak, and show so little fear. He could only hope that he, James, Lily, and Sirius had helped in some small way. Then Harry dropped the Resurrection Stone.

And there was nothing again.

Except there had been something.

There had to be someplace.

Someplace James, Lily, and Sirius had come back from.

The same place Remus needed to find.

Maybe Dora would be there.

Certainly she would be there.

"Moony?"

"Sirius!"

"Voldemort's dead. Harry won."

"I…" He hadn't realized he knew until that moment. "That's good. That's…good."

"This way."

Even though there was no 'way' as far as he could discern, he followed all the same.

Impossible to say how long.

And then.

"Remus!"

"Dora!"

"You found me!"

"You found me!"

They were in Hogwarts again, always Hogwarts. Tonks took his hand and led the way up to the Astronomy tower. That was all for a time, but not forever.

"I can't believe we died," she said.

"I…never have to transform again." It was an unbelievable feeling.

"I have a question for you."

Remus waited, and gathered her up in his arms like he used to do.

"Do you think, if none of this had happened, if there'd been no war, we still would have met?"

"I don't know," Remus said. "Maybe not."

"Well, there's that, at least."

"But Teddy…"

"I know, we'll never get to…to t-talk to him again."

Remus had only ever seen her really cry twice, once from grief, and once out of sheer joy. This wasn't like either of those times. He cried too as they held on to each other, barely able to keep their feet. But eventually they calmed, and Tonks glanced out over the banister of the Astronomy tower.

"Wait! Look there, can you see him?" She pointed, jumping a little.

Remus turned and found that he could see much further than the distant mountains.

"I…yes!"

"Teddy's okay! He'll be fine."

"He's not a werewolf." Remus staggered and had to lean on the banister. The sheer relief was like nothing he'd ever felt before.

"Told you so," Tonks said, giving him a steadying arm.

"Yes, you did. But your Mum, your poor Mum. We left her all alone, and so soon after Ted..."

Tonks's grip faltered, then grew strong. "She'll be fine. Haven't you noticed by now? She's tougher than all of us. And she's not alone, she's got the whole Order. Look."

Remus looked. "They'll…they'll all be fine."

"I know. Harry is a marvel."

"We should go find your Dad."

"Yes! And your parents!"

"They'll love you."

"And James and Lily. And Sirius."

"They were just here…"

"Good. I want to teach them gremlin Jenga." She looked up at him, and her eyebrows scrunched together. "Oh. That's too bad."

"What?"

She reached out and ran her thumb over his cheekbone. "Your scars are gone."

"Oh! The truth comes out!" Remus chuckled, catching her hand.

"Luckily, there are other things I like about you," she replied.

"One day you'll have to explain what those are."

"You really haven't figured it out by now?"

"No, I really haven't."

"Why didn't you say so? It's simple. Even when I look like someone else, you still see me. And when I look like myself, you never want me to look like someone else."

"That's it?" He raised her hand to his lips.

"And a bunch of other things. You'll have to figure the rest of them out for yourself."

"See if I don't."

They both took one more look over the banister, toward Teddy then, hand in hand, they set off to explore the rest of the castle.


	25. May 2nd, 1998, 7:28 am

Author's Note: All right, guys, this is the last chapter. I want to give a huge thanks to everyone who's read, favorited, and followed this story. And I want to give an extra huge thanks to Aenlu, Alicia Olivia Mirza, Chinagirl18, faerieMagic07, Gerenuk, Liz Merryfeather, Rose of the West, Snarky64, and VlightPhase (I hope that last chapter didn't break you) for the reviews. I hope you've all enjoyed the story, and that the sad parts didn't make you too sad. Look for the helpers - Fred Rogers.

 **Chapter 25: May 2** **nd** **, 1998, 7:28 am**

Teddy finally settled sometime in the small hours, but Andromeda never did. She spent half the night pacing and the other half wondering where Kreacher had gone. An hour or so after daybreak a Patronus appeared in the middle of the sitting room. Molly Weasley's.

"It's over. Harry won. You should come to Hogwarts."

There was something in Molly's transported voice that made her think that it was not all good news. Careful not to wake him, Andromeda transferred Teddy to a sling that she strapped to her chest, and tried not to wonder why neither Nymphadora nor Remus had been the one to send her the all clear.

"Kreacher? Are you there?" Andromeda called.

No response.

"It's all right, I can walk."

Had the house ever been left completely unoccupied since the coup? Andromeda didn't think so. Not until now. She shut the door and Apparated to Hogsmeade.

The gates leading to Hogwarts were destroyed, melted, and were those footprints made by giants? What had happened here?

She only made it a few steps onto the grounds before a Mediwizard stopped her with a hand on her elbow.

"I'm sorry, Ma'am, you can't go in there."

"I'm with the Order of the Phoenix."

"Please wait in Hogsmeade."

"My daughter and son-in-law are in there."

"It's all right, Timothy, she's with me."

Andromeda turned and saw Kingsley striding down the broken path toward them. He had a thick dressing on his temple and burns all over, but walked with his usual grace and energy.

"Thank you," Andromeda said, pulling her elbow free and falling into step beside Kingsley.

"Molly said you might be coming."

"She said we won?"

Kingsley filled her in on as much as he knew as they walked the mile or so to the castle. It seemed incredible, close to nonsensical. Voldemort's wand had _decided_ not to kill Harry? Could that possibly be true? She needed the story from the beginning, but for the moment she was more interested in what Kingsley was not saying. The closer they got to Hogwarts, the more obvious it became that one of the toughest men she knew was afraid to tell her something. Her legs started to fail her. Kingsley had to give her his elbow.

"They're dead, aren't they? Nymphadora and Remus."

"I'm sorry, Andromeda. They're heroes…"

"I know."

Andromeda found her feet again and hurried ahead, scrambled up the rubble that stood where the stairs to the entrance had been, through another set of ruined doors, guessed right when she saw the amount of activity in the Great Hall, spotted them both easily, laying side by side near the center of the room. Not a mark on them, even when she approached. It must have been quick.

Nymphadora's hair had reverted to its natural brown. Andromeda worked out the spell under her breath, then dyed her daughter's hair back to its customary purple. She thought she got the shade just about right.

"Teddy," she said, lifting the stirring infant. "Look carefully. Try to remember. These are your parents. They died so the world would be safer for you. It's okay to be sad, but don't be afraid. I'm going to take care of you now."

Only then did she let herself sink to her knees at their sides and sob into Nymphadora's shoulder.

"Miss Andromeda?"

She didn't know how long she'd stayed that way. It might have been a minute or a year, but Kreacher seemed to know that it had been enough. She looked up into his round eyes.

"Kreacher, is this where you went? Are you all right?"

She reached out and touched the bandage around his head. It seemed to be holding one of his ears in place.

"Kreacher is fine. Kreacher fetched back fighters from France and rallied the Hogwarts elves against You-Know-Who. Now we are helping."

"You're always helping," Andromeda replied. "Thank you."

"Kreacher will miss Miss Nymphadora and Mister Remus. Kreacher was too late to help them."

"I'll miss them too." Did he mean that he had been the one to find them and bring them to the Great Hall?

"Kreacher can sit with Miss Andromeda?"

"Of course."

The Mediwizards were still busy with the wounded. How long did she have before they moved on to the dead?

"Andromeda?"

She spun as quickly as she could on her stiffening knees, trying not to disturb Teddy. Narcissa was standing near Remus's side. Andromeda tried not to look surprised to see her there, unshackled.

"Narcissa?"

"I'm sorry for your losses."

Andromeda felt a surge of anger and tried to ignore it. There was no accounting for luck. She glanced past her sister and spotted Draco and Lucius in a far corner, trying to look unobtrusive. Had they turned their coats? Must have done.

"Thank you."

"If you need anything."

"I'm fine."

"All right," Narcissa said. "Thank you for your help. You may have saved Draco's life."

Andromeda couldn't see how that might be. Maybe she would pursue it later. For now she didn't care.

"Bellatrix was captured," Narcissa continued. "I'm going to make sure she can never escape again."

There was a time when a statement like that would have sent Andromeda into her room. No longer.

"Tell her I'm not scared of her anymore."

"Well she still terrifies me."

"Narcissa, I'd rather be alone right now."

"I understand." And she must have. She left.

When she was dry eyed again, Andromeda looked around the Great Hall. She was not the only one keeping watch beside a fallen warrior that day. Not far away, all of the Weasleys stood, sat, or kneeled in a tight knot. Andromeda's heart fell, but she could not make out who they had lost, only his or her shoes were visible. Perhaps she ought to go and offer her condolences, but she could not seem to get her feet to move for the moment. Instead, Fleur eventually noticed her watching and tapped Bill on the shoulder. Leaning on each other, they wobbled over to her.

"Bill, Fleur," Andromeda greeted. "Are you…"

What a ridiculous thing to ask. Was anyone all right?

"It's Fred…" Bill began but could not finish.

"…Zhere was an explosion." Fleur finished but could not begin.

"I'm so sorry." An insufficient thing to say. "You must be devastated. George…is George…"

At first she thought she could not begin to imagine how it must feel to lose a twin, like a piece of herself. But then she looked at Nymphadora and thought that of course she could.

Bill and Fleur glanced at each other.

"I will stay with you, Andromeda," Fleur said. "You should not be alone."

"I…thank you…but you should be with your family."

"You are family," Bill replied. That wrung a few more tears out of Andromeda.

"I'll stay, Bill."

Andromeda looked up again and found that Dean had appeared next to them.

"Dean, I'm glad you're okay," Andromeda said, scrubbing at her cheeks. "It's good to see you."

"Thanks. I…uh…" He pulled a wand from his pocket and rolled it between his hands. "I lost my wand before the battle. This is Professor Lupin's. I hope he wouldn't have minded that I borrowed it, but maybe it's Teddy's now."

Andromeda felt a brief surge of panic, but Nymphadora's wand was still caught in her limp hand.

Perhaps because of her reaction, Dean knelt immediately to tuck Remus's wand back into his pocket, but Andromeda caught his arm before he could.

"Did his wand work for you?"

"Well, yes," Dean said.

"Then you should keep it."

"Are…are you sure?"

"Yes," Andromeda said. And she was. "Who knows how long it will take for Ollivander's to reopen. You need a wand. That one is yours for as long as you need it. Forever, even. I'm sure Remus would want it that way."

"All right," Dean said, pocketing the wand reverently. "Thank you. Should I sit with you for awhile? Or maybe I should get Luna, she's better at this than me."

"No. Thank you, Dean, but I would rather just be by myself."

"Okay." He stooped and placed a hand on Remus's shoulder, then moved on.

And it was just Andromeda, Kreacher, and Teddy again. From time to time someone would touch her on the shoulder and offer their condolences, she would thank them, and they would continue on. Once Kreacher disappeared to the kitchens and returned with some milk for Teddy. Eventually, Andromeda started to wonder if she ought to stand and offer her services to those who could still benefit from them, as Kreacher sometimes did, but in the end she always stayed where she was. Nymphadora and Remus had no one but each other right now, and her.

Gradually, Andromeda became aware of a change in activity in the Great Hall and concluded that the Mediwizards must have finished with the wounded and were starting to move the dead. She looked hard at Nymphadora and Remus, trying to remember everything about them.

"Just a moment," she said to the dark haired young man who crossed from the cluster of Weasleys and knelt in her peripheral vision at Remus's side.

"Master Harry!" Kreacher exclaimed.

Andromeda looked up in surprise. Harry was almost unrecognizable compared to the boy she had briefly met after his escape from Privet Drive about a thousand years ago.

"Hi Kreacher," Harry replied, shaking the House Elf's hand. "It's good to see you. Thank you and the other House Elves for your help."

"It was nothing," Kreacher said bashfully.

"It wasn't," Harry said, then he turned to Remus but spoke to Andromeda. "Remus helped me, I can't even explain how much he helped me. I don't know how to repay that. I'm sorry he died, he and Tonks."

"You helped him too," Andromeda replied, remembering Remus's own moment of crisis. "And…" How could she possibly express her gratitude to him? Words like 'thank you' were not built for people who saved the world. "Thank you."

It was all she had. He seemed to understand.

"I don't know if Remus told you this, but…" he broke off with an inward smile, as though something he had said sounded familiar to him. "…but he asked me to be Teddy's godfather, and I accepted."

"He told me."

"Well, I don't really know how to be someone's godfather," Harry continued, "but if you need anything…babysitter…or…I have money…actually, maybe I don't anymore, but…"

Andromeda stilled him with a hand on his wrist. Was it odd that the person who had just defeated Voldemort was now offering to babysit for her?

"Would you like to hold him?"

"Yes!"

Andromeda let him get settled, showed him the proper way to hold an infant, then passed Teddy over to him. They seemed to take to each other immediately; Teddy even turned his hair green for Harry's benefit.

In time, Ginny wandered over. She lingered at Tonks's side for a moment, but with her own brother to mourn it seemed that she had no tears left. Instead, she sat down next to Harry, leaned her head on his shoulder, and ran a gentle finger over the top of Teddy's head. Even amongst all this death, it made a pretty picture, the way life did.

* * *

"Well, Teddy, what did you think of your first real day of school?" Andromeda asked after shutting the door behind the last student and his father.

Teddy shrugged and started helping to clean up the parchment and textbooks. "It was the same as all those other days of school, Nana."

Andromeda had been afraid of that. Even though he was only now old enough to be an official student, Teddy had been attending her school in some capacity since he was four months old, and he was Remus's son. It shouldn't have surprised her that he already grasped concepts far beyond his grade level. Not for the first time, Andromeda wondered if she ought to send him someplace else for his pre-Hogwarts schooling, just for the variety of it. Maybe next year.

"What's for dinner?" Teddy asked.

"Harry and Ginny invited us over, remember?"

"Oh, yeah. Will Uncle George and Aunt Angelina be there?"

"I don't know, but maybe. Harry said that he and Ginny wanted to make an announcement, maybe a lot of people will be there."

"Oh, good. Uncle George always brings fun things to play with." Then Teddy made a face. It stuck. Nymphadora used to do that. "I hope Aunt Ginny doesn't make that casserole stuff again."

"It was shepherd's pie," Andromeda replied. "And if you tell Ginny you don't like her cooking you'll have me to answer to. She's trying, and she's getting better, and it's harder than it looks. Understood?"

"Understood." The tips of Teddy's hair turned blue when he said it, and Andromeda had to look away. She hated being harsh with him.

"Do you want a snack?"

"I'm gonna see if Kreacher's in the garden."

Andromeda joined him outside a few minutes later with a plate of apple slices and peanut butter. Kreacher was indeed there; he was helping Teddy add flowers to their small homemade shrines to Ted, Nymphadora, and Remus.

After the Battle of Hogwarts, Harry had sworn that he could never give a House Elf another order. He had wanted to free Kreacher, but Kreacher's training went too deep to accept that. It had looked like an impasse, until Harry suggested that Kreacher retire instead, and remain attached to the Potters but free to do what and go where he wished. Kreacher had found that acceptable, and it turned out that the places he wished to go often included Andromeda's back yard. His flower garden had greatly expanded in color, variety, and real estate in the intervening years, completely overtaking Andromeda's abandoned vegetable patch and the former site of the potting shed, and it never went out of bloom, even during the harshest winters. Andromeda didn't mind. She particularly liked the way he had coaxed the ivy up the pedestal of the bird bath, and the wide swing where she had spent many an afternoon with Teddy, and where she sat now.

After a time, Teddy left the shrines to their own devices and came to join Andromeda on the swing, taking an apple slice and a huge glob of peanut butter before passing the plate over to Kreacher. His hair always looked a little brighter after visiting with his parents.

"Nana, will you tell me a story?"

"All right," Andromeda replied, pulling him against her side. "Which one would you like? Babbity Rabbity?"

"No, that's kid stuff."

"Is it now?" She'd had no idea that mattered to him already. "The Wizard of Oz?"

"Nana!"

"Okay then. Have I told you about how Kreacher rescued Muggle-borns from the Ministry?"

"Yes, and so has Kreacher."

"There's the one about your great-grandma, who saved everyone from a fire."

"You told me it yesterday!"

"What about the story of how your parents met?"

"Only about a bajillion times. And Bill's version is better."

Well he had the benefit of being present when it actually happened. "You're not making this very easy. What about the story of how your Dad dealt with being a werewolf?"

"That's not a very happy story."

"But it's an important one. And it's not all sad."

"Mummy helped."

"That's right, she did," Andromeda said, giving him a squeeze. "I have it. Did you know that your Mum figured out how to make herself look like a bug?"

"A bug!" Teddy exclaimed, jumping to his feet so quickly that he upset the forgotten plate of apples and Kreacher had to catch it with magic. "Can I look like a bug too? Can I be bug sized?"

"I don't know, you're the metamorphmagus. Maybe you should start by finding some bugs to impersonate."

"Good idea!" And Teddy raced off among the flowers.

The End


End file.
